2-year-old, infant found living in a home with rotting food, feces matted to carpet, police say

A duo faces charges after police say they found children living in a home with rotten food and feces throughout the residence.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Department charged Burchell Rice and Kendra Fredrick with two counts of third-degree criminal abuse in connection to the case. Both were booked into the Knox County Detention Center.

Around 12:30 p.m. Oct. 4, deputies were called to a home after a child was seen running around naked and unattended.

When deputies arrived, they could not find the child but heard a child crying inside an apartment, according to the sheriff’s department. Deputies tried to get someone to enter the door, and it wasn’t until they said they were going to force their way inside that someone opened the door.

Deputies went inside the apartment and found Fredrick and Rice along with a 2-year-old and an infant, according to the sheriff’s department.

The deputies saw rotting food and feces matted to the carpet throughout the apartment, according to the sheriff’s department. There was also trash and unwashed dishes in the home.

Child Protectives Services also responded to the home and took the children, according to the sheriff’s department. The children were later released to a family member.