Police learned of the children from a city employee, discovering a residence with no electricity, no beds, insufficient food or water, broken glass, and dog feces, with some children partially or fully unclothed and in soiled diapers; the home was later condemned by a building inspector.

A judge denied Brown’s bond on the neglect charges during an appearance on Wednesday.

The case raises questions about the city’s housing department, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), which helped place the family in the home five months earlier and later assisted with electricity and crisis assistance funding.

All six children were hospitalized; one was released to a relative, while the remaining five remained in the care of Child Protective Services.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott condemned the situation as unacceptable and warned that anyone with the opportunity to intervene who failed to act will face consequences, calling it a horrific situation.

A Baltimore mother, Teonna Brown, faces multiple child neglect charges after police found her six children alone in an unsafe and unsanitary rental home on East Monument Street; the children are ages 9, 7, 6, 5, 3, and 1.

Authorities plan to question the landlord about their awareness of the conditions and potential further action against them, and the city will review DHCD protocols and oversight in placement processes.

Court documents indicate DHCD assisted in placing the family in the home in April and provided financial help for supplies, followed by a DHCD effort to restore electricity two weeks after placement; the documents do not mention additional DHCD visits after that.