Local News

Wu disputes ‘house of horrors’ rumors after body found in Southie apartment

Boston police also clarified that drugs and sex toys were not found in the apartment and that children were not hidden from authorities.

June 24, 2023

2 minutes to read

Mayor Michelle Wu shot down reports that alcohol, drugs, and sex toys were strewn about a Boston Housing Authority apartment where first responders discovered four children during an emergency call.

Speaking to Boston 25 News, Wu said reports that the children were living in the dangerous “house of horrors” conditions were false.

The children, who are between the ages of 5 and 10, were taken into protective custody on June 17 after first responders entered the apartment in the Mary Ellen McCormack Complex in South Boston after a call about a person who was not breathing, according to officials.

Wu told the news outlet: “There have not actually been reports directly from first responders. Some of the information that’s been floating out there have been some second and third-hand accounts from those who are not at the scene and I think this is an important reminder that it’s important to have a grounding in the facts of what’s occurred and to let the proper authorities do the investigations. We will do whatever it takes to protect our children in this city, but that also means not fueling conspiracy theories.”

Wu did confirm to Boston 25 News that a person died in the home.

After discovering the deceased person, BPD officers filed a 51A report about the apartment’s unsanitary conditions. The kids have been in the Department of Children and Families’ custody since the incident, according to the news outlet.

According to a Boston Herald report, first responders wrote in an incident report that six men were in the apartment, and one of the men was allegedly hiding the kids from first responders in a back bedroom. The adults were uncooperative, according to the news report, and also denied that there were children in the home.

At-Large City Councilor Michael Flaherty was quoted in the Herald calling the situation “sickening” and said, “I was informed by people at the scene that there were drugs, alcohol, sex toys all around the apartment as well as a dead body on the floor.”

However, following initial reports, Boston police clarified that the troubling items were not observed when officers were at the scene.

“The parents and the officers who responded felt it was best for the children to stay in another room with one of the parents and took steps to avoid having the children see the deceased,” police said. “Information that drugs and other concerning materials were strewn about the home is not supported by what officers encountered or by the information received on scene.”