Couple Arrested After Police Discover 5 Malnourished Children in Home With Plenty of Groceries

A Florida couple is facing criminal charges for child neglect after police discovered their five children were extremely malnourished and exhibited signs of alleged abuse.

Anthony Jones, 37, and Erica Bryant, 33, were taken into custody on Saturday, July 18, by the Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office after Bryant brought one of their children to the emergency room at the behest of their primary care doctor. Seeing how malnourished the child was, it prompted authorities to do a “well-being check” on the household, according to a probable cause affidavit.

When an officer arrived, he noticed “4 juveniles that were extremely thin in stature.” The officer described one of the children as exhibiting “boney prominence.” The investigator stated that all the children were hesitant to speak to an adult and that, during questioning of the children, Jones continuously interrupted. As a result, he was detained in the back of a squad car while police continued to interview the children.

The children were eventually taken to the hospital for evaluation, which determined that they were all severely underweight for their respective ages and sizes. One child in particular weighed only 44 pounds. All the children stated that they had not eaten that day.

In addition, the children showed signs of alleged physical abuse such as bruising and scars. When asked about a scar on their arm, one of the children initially said it was from running in their old apartment before eventually confessing that Bryant allegedly tried to cut their arm.

Despite the kids appearing malnourished, the probable cause affidavit notes that officers noticed that “the kitchen was stocked with [nutritious] food such as deli meat, bread, and frozen food.”

The affidavit states that the parents both failed to provide “food, nutrition, medicine, and medical services that a prudent person would consider essential for the well-being of the child.”

Both Jones and Bryant have been charged with five counts of neglect to a child without great bodily harm and can only contact the children through approval of the DCF.