18-Month-Old Found Dead Inside Texas Home; Feces Found On Walls Of Baby's Room

Parents of an 18-month-old boy have been arrested after the baby was found dead inside a home in Texas. Two other children were found living in filthy conditions inside the house.

Erin Dennis, 23, and Daniel Dennis, 25, were charged with abandoning and endangering a child after their two older children, aged 2 and 4, were found living in unhygienic conditions and had signs of physical trauma. The cause of death of the 18-month-old child is still unknown, but police believe Erin and Daniel will face additional charges in connection with the toddler's death, CBS19 reported.

"This is a horrible case and scene," Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse said in a statement. "I am awaiting the official autopsy report. But I fully expect additional charges for the death of the youngest child."

The sheriff's deputies found 18-month old David dead in his room when they reached the home after receiving a call Tuesday.

"The mother said she awoke Tuesday morning to play video games," the sheriff said. "She then checked on the three children and found the 18-month-old dead."

David shared a room with his 2-year-old brother, while the 4-year-old daughter had a room to herself. Investigators found that the couple would lock the children up in the bedrooms to keep them from going out. They also found that the children were being kept in neglected environments, reported KLTV 7.

The girl's bedroom, which only had a small crib mattress in the corner, had a strong stench of feces and urine. Feces with a small child's handprints were also found on the walls of the room. The bedroom that David and the 2-year-old child shared also had feces on the walls and dirty diapers lying on the floor. Officers said one of the cribs inside the room was turned upside down with the mattress on the floor, almost like a "cage."

The room in which David was found dead was too hot with a temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit, deputies said, adding that the toddler's temperature was 103 degrees Fahrenheit.

The mother told investigators she had a space heater switched on in the room because doctors said it would help David, who had poor circulation in his legs.

"Inside the master bedroom, affiant noticed several firearms leaning against the wall unsecured," the press release stated.

Erin also claimed she had checked on David the night before and that he seemed absolutely fine. She felt he was normal, apart from some bumps on his body, which she thought were nothing more than bug bites or diaper rash. However, when she checked in on her kids the next morning, she found the 18-month-old dead.

The parents are being held in the Henderson County Jail. Their bond amounts were set at $1 million each.

The toddler's body was sent for an autopsy. The older children were placed in the care of Child Protective Services (CPS).