Couple kept six kids 'locked in poo-smeared home' so grim cops 'couldn't breathe'

A couple have been arrested after police found six children locked in their rooms in a raid on their 'poo-smeared' home.

Officers say so bad was the smell inside the property in Palm Bay, US, that they struggled to breathe. Nathan Forczyk and Laura Forczyk were each arrested on six counts of child neglect. Both were bailed from the Brevard County Jail on Tuesday.

Police said when they entered the family home, they found the kids locked in separate bedrooms. The children did not have access to "food, water, or restroom facilities", the force said as they detailed the harrowing conditions they found after breaking in.

READ MORE: Five children found 'locked in dungeon with cameras to stop them escaping'

READ MORE: Boy, 12, dies following suspected alligator attack 'after climbing out window'

It is claimed the investigation began when Mr Forczyk called the Florida Department of Children and Families for help with his children, whose names and ages have not been disclosed. According to Orlando ABC, the call was followed up before police turned up at the home last week.

"Each child had been locked in a bedroom containing only a child-sized potty training toilet," police said. Describing the severely-deteriorated state of the property, police said large parts of walls were missing, with exposed live wiring - as well as an "overwhelming atmosphere" due to the "strong smell and visible presence of excrement".

Officers deemed the home "unsafe, unsanitary, and hazardous" to the health of the youngsters. A Palm Bay Police Department spokesperson accepted the Forczyks were a family "in desperate need of assistance" and "down on their luck.".

A police report stated: "Large sections of drywall were ripped off the walls, exposing live electrical wiring. The atmosphere inside the home was overwhelming, with a strong odor of cat urine, human urine and feces, making it difficult to breathe. Feces and urine were visibly present throughout multiple areas of the home. [sic]"

The couple will appear in court on September 30. As a condition of their bail, Laura and Nathan Forczyk are prohibited from contacting each other - or any of the six children.

Court documents did not identify the children, and did not say what relationship, if any, they had with the man and woman. Lacey Price, a neighbour of the pair, detailed a previous visit to the property.

She said: “I remember there was like a really strong smell of like cat urine or dog, something, and I was thinking like, well, maybe they just went and they haven’t cleaned it out yet, or something. That was kind of strange. I feel, like, if that was going on, you would reach out."