COAL CITY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The parents of a potentially autistic child were arrested last month due to conditions of neglect, including a residence with mold, dilapidated flooring, no bedroom for the child and a plastic pool full of chickens in the living room.
According to Raleigh County Magistrate Court documentation, on May 1, 2024, at approximately 7:48am, Cpl. Schack of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding an unsupervised child walking near the Coal City Post Office.
The child was recognized by the caller to be that of Billy Irick and Michelle Raye, and the caller advised the child was possibly autistic. An additional caller noted the parents’ history of drug use and advised that the student is a student at a local school.
Law enforcement located the child near the Coal City Post Office, noting the child was wearing soaking wet socks, pants, shoes and a wet pull-up diaper. The child was carried back to its residence, where law enforcement noted an abundance of chickens in the back yard area, including five dead chicks on the porch.
Cpl. Schack arrived at the Ritchie St. residence at approximately 7:57am, announcing himself as law enforcement to no response from the two sleeping individuals observed inside. These individuals would be identified as Billy Irick and Michelle Raye.
“Upon speaking with the parents, they appeared unbothered that I had just arrived from almost a mile away with their child who was on foot alone,” read the criminal complaint associated with the incident. “Mr. Irick stated he wasn’t going to listen to me since he worked night shift; he went back to the couch and started smoking cigarettes. Ms. Raye appeared more interested in the TV show that was on.”
It was noted that the home did not appear to feature a room for the child, though there was a toddler bed in the living room area. Rooms in the home smelled of mold and several areas of the floor were noted to be falling in. An axe was noted to be laying at the bottom of the steps by a piece of lumber with a nail sticking out of it.
Multiple witnesses advised that the child leaving the home and property unsupervised is a common occurrence and that the child’s parents have even placed him on the wrong bus before. There have also purportedly been instances of no one arriving at the bus stop to pick the child up when he is dropped off.
Additionally, the child has allegedly missed many days of school and has been witnessed by local residents roaming the streets in a diaper or entirely nude. Irick is also purported to force roosters to engage in fights.
CPS arrived at the scene at 9:20am, and the child was removed from the custody of Raye and Irick to be placed with family members.
Michelle Raye and Billy Irick were both arrested by members of the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office and charged with Child Neglect Creating Risk of Injury.
