Local News

Police: 4 children found in squalid South Boston apartment

Authorities were first called to the apartment to help a person in cardiac arrest.

June 21, 2023

2 minutes to read

First responders found four children living in extremely unsanitary conditions within a South Boston public housing apartment after they responded to a report of someone needing immediate medical attention, Boston police said.

Firefighters and police officers were called to 381 Old Colony Avenue Saturday morning, and were told that someone needed urgent medical attention, according to a police report. The person was found not breathing and later pronounced dead.

BPD officers later filed a 51A report regarding the conditions of the home, according to the report. If a person whose work brings them in contact with children suspects those children of being abused or neglected, they are required to fill out a 51A report with the Department of Children and Families.

First responders found six men in a squalid apartment, and four children in the back bedroom, The Boston Herald reported. The children were between the ages of 5 and 10, and one of the men tried to hide them from first responders, according to the newspaper.

Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty told the Herald that a man was found dead on the floor from an apparent overdose.

The incident reportedly occurred within the Mary Ellen McCormack Housing complex, which is run by the Boston Housing Authority.

Responding to reports of the incident on Twitter, City Council President Ed Flynn called for more accountability regarding the BHA.

“This horrific and inhuman incident demands accountability! It also underscores the need for a complete review of [BHA] inspections and eviction practices, security efforts in developments and protocols to ensure children are safe in every BHA apartment,” he wrote.

Representatives from the BHA told WCVB that it had received no prior complaints about the South Boston apartment and is working with the proper authorities to follow-up.

Gov. Maura Healey’s office confirmed to the station that the children had been taken into the care of the state’s DCF. Representatives from DCF could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

City Councilor Erin Murphy called for a hearing to review how the BHA responds to safety concerns within its units.

“The safety of children in our [BHA] is a responsibility I take as seriously as the safety of my own children. I look forward to the Hearing Order we filed regarding safety protocols & procedures in BHA Housing to ensure the safety & wellbeing of our truly most vulnerable,” she wrote on Twitter.

Murphy told Boston 25 News that she heard reports that there was drug paraphernalia and sex toys in the apartment. Firefighters heard a cry for help and uncovered the children, she told the station.

On Facebook, State Senator Nick Collins hailed the first responders who sounded the alarm.

“Our first responders should be commended for following through and fulfilling their duty as mandatory reporters,” he wrote. “No child should be exposed to what these children were exposed to.”