One-year-old dead, mother charged after children left alone without food for hours

Authorities arrested 37-year-old Sherry Magby, who now faces six counts of second-degree child cruelty.

(CNN) – A tragic discovery in a local neighborhood has left residents shaken after a one-year-old child was found dead inside a home where police say multiple children had been left alone for hours without food.

According to investigators, officers responded to a home on James D. Simpson in late March for a reported cardiac arrest. When they arrived, the coroner confirmed the death of a one-year-old child.

Police say the conditions inside the home were alarming. Officers reported a foul odor consistent with unsanitary living conditions and described every room as being in disarray.

Authorities arrested 37-year-old Sherry Magby, who now faces six counts of second-degree child cruelty.

Investigators say a 10-year-old child was left in charge of five younger siblings—ages 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. According to police, the children had been alone for approximately 12 hours with no food.

The 10-year-old told officers the one-year-old had been eating ants and cockroaches.

Just steps away from the home, a community outreach center run by Ken Howell offers food and assistance to families in need. Howell says he was shocked to learn what happened so close to his organization.

“All they had to do was come down here. We could have helped them get food,” Howell said.

Neighbors say they are devastated by the situation and wish they had known the children needed help.