A Florida mother faced charges after she left six children alone in a squalid house while she ran errands.
Police arrested 29‑year‑old Jamie Jakes on Sunday and later released her on pretrial bail. A probable‑cause affidavit shows that Tallahassee officers, while on patrol, spotted a child narrowly dodging a car in the street. The officers soon discovered additional children, noting that three were scantily clothed,one in just jeans and two in soggy diapers.
The children guided the officers to their home and allowed them inside.
Inside, officers found three additional children asleep on a single bed, all without clothing. A quick search for garments yielded only shoes and fragments of clothing that reeked of mildew. No adults were present in the residence at that moment.
Authorities described the house as uninhabitable. The living room floor was littered with human waste, while each room contained diapers, trash, and half‑eaten, spoiled food. The refrigerator was empty, and the freezer held freezer‑burnt food infested with bugs.
A boy among the children told police that Jakes had departed for the store roughly two hours earlier. She returned around 6 a.m., only to be met by officers, who then arrested her and began questioning.
The affidavit reveals that Jakes claimed she paid an acquaintance $150 weekly to check on her kids four times between Thursday and Sunday. She added that she dropped off food at his place, saying, “he keeps it there so the kids do not eat it all or waste it.” When officers asked about the home’s condition, Jakes insisted it had been “clean the day prior,” a statement the police found hard to believe given the evidence.
Police later contacted the alleged acquaintance, who denied any formal arrangement. He told investigators he was “not responsible for” the children and only “helped when he could.”
The affidavit notes that witness statements suggest the children were left alone starting at 5 p.m. the previous day. Police indicated that a caretaker, whose name was redacted, was responsible.
Jakes now faces six counts of child neglect, and her next court appearance has yet to be scheduled.
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