Mother, grandmother charged with child abuse after children found in unsafe conditions

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two women were charged in Cole County with child abuse and other charges after state officials determined their home was not safe for children to live in.

Whitney Barron, 42, and Beverly Barron, 74, were charged on Thursday in Cole County with three counts of child abuse, three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of misdemeanor animal neglect. They are both being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. Court dates have not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement was called on Wednesday afternoon after a Children’s Division worker described concerns about the home. The Cole County deputy wrote that feces were seen smeared on walls, the stairs and floor throughout the home. Three children appeared either without clothes or in soiled diapers or underwear, the statement says.

Trash was allegedly piled up throughout the home and in the sink, the statement says. The deputy wrote that trash on the second level of the home was stacked up to his knees.

One soiled mattress was found, no children’s clothing was located throughout the home and multiple doors were locked off, the statement says. The deputy also found two cats that were in “inadequate body condition,” and no litter box, water or cat food was seen, court documents say.

Beverly Barron was home when authorities arrived, the statement says.