PARKERSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Parkersburg woman has been charged with child neglect after police say her three-year-old child was found wandering alone near a roadway earlier this month.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Wood County, an officer responded to Staunton Avenue in Parkersburg on Aug. 17 after a report of a young child walking along the road without adult supervision.
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When the officer arrived, a neighbor had the child in her care. The neighbor told police she had been returning a loose pit bull to the property when she noticed the toddler outside unattended.
Police say repeated attempts to contact someone at the residence went unanswered. During a search of the home, officers eventually located two adults — including the child’s mother, identified as Elissa Knight — asleep in an upstairs bedroom.
The complaint describes the home as being in “unlivable” condition, with trash, debris, dirty clothing, and dog feces on the floors and even on beds. Officers reported a strong odor of filth and feces throughout the residence. In addition, drug paraphernalia was allegedly found in a hallway trash can, including needles and a spoon with residue.
Police said the child appeared covered in dirt and filth at the time of the incident.
Knight has been charged with child neglect creating risk of serious bodily injury.
