Mother Charged with Child Abuse, children allegedly living in “extreme filth”

Three Las Cruces children, ages eight, six and one, are in state custody after being rescued from what the Las Cruces Police and Children, Youth and Families Departments called “extreme filth and unlivable conditions.”

Stacy Adams, 29, is in jail charged with Child Abuse. Police arrested Adams Monday at her mobile home in north Las Cruces following a tip to a CYFD caseworker by someone at Alameda Elementary. That’s where her two older children attend school.

Court documents obtained by the ABC-7 I-Team state the kids told someone at the school they didn’t have food and their home was very dirty. The documents also detail the caseworker going to the home, only to have Stacy Adams lock herself inside the mobile home.

Court records go on to state: “The officer told Adams he was checking on the conditions of the home and she reportedly told him it was dirty but he could check if he wanted to. The officer entered the home and the conditions were atrocious. The smell of feces in the home was overwhelming. He observed animal feces inside the bathtub.”

The same documents illustrate what many would call “the unthinkable,” with the caseworker stating, “She observed them (the children) to be extremely dirty and had a strong odor coming from them. They could not use the shower because their cat had gone to the bathroom in the shower and it had not been cleaned. Their home was extremely dirty and they do not have food to eat.”

The CYFD caseworker specifically details what she says Adams told her: “Her home is dirty because her kids make it messy and she gets tired of cleaning up after them. Her kids will wash themselves but only if she reminds them. The kids have to use the sink to wash up or baby wipes because she does not hot water. The children are supposed to be brushing their teeth but they lose their toothbrushes and she is not sure the last time they brushed their teeth.”

LCPS Detectives report Adams’ youngest child, a one-year-old, hadn’t seen a pediatrician since she was born.

State Law in New Mexico mandates that employees at schools report any suspicion of child abuse. They can remain anonymous. That’s what LCPS Spokeswoman Jo Galvan said saved these kids, saying, “I would not be surprised at all if it was just a school employee because that is their responsibility to report something.” Galvan adds, “Whoever made that report, we’re proud they stepped forward.”

If you find yourself in a situation where you’d like to report suspicion of child abuse, reach out to the Victims Assistance Unit at LCPS at 575-528-4111.