FAIRBORN — A mother is facing criminal charges and a child is in critical condition after police searched a Fairborn home Monday.
Police were dispatched to the 300 block of Wallace Drive regarding a child having trouble breathing, according to a spokesperson for the Fairborn Police Department.
The 911 caller, a parent of the child, told dispatchers the child was alone in the apartment.
Fairborn police arrived on the scene and after not receiving an answer at the apartment, found the apartment unsecured and cleared it, the spokesperson said.
>> Florist accused of ripping off local brides pleads guilty
Inside the apartment police found a three-year-old child that was “conscious but not alert.” The child was immediately taken by medics to a hospital.
According to court documents obtained by News Center 7, a search warrant was conducted at the apartment, and police observed a decaying mouse on the living room couch cushion, numerous fly traps covered in dead flies, and bugs crawling on the walls, floors, and beds. There were also reportedly dead bugs and moldy food in the refrigerator and freezer.
Police also found a bed with a “deteriorated, severely soiled mattress” and blanket soiled with feces, court documents stated. Numerous empty PediaSure-brand nutrition and protein drinks were also found throughout the room.
>> Juvenile in custody after police, SWAT investigation in Miamisburg
The apartment, described in court documents as being “cluttered and filthy,” was found to be unfit for human occupancy and was condemned by Fairborn Code Enforcement.
During the investigation, the parent was identified as 25-year-old Rabyah Muballigh. She was later located and taken into custody.
Breanna Hill, Muballigh’s neighbor, told News Center 7 that for years she has heard the toddler crying through her wall.
“That breaks my heart for that baby. She’s so innocent and she did not deserve that,” Hill said.
Ashli Snow, who also lives at the apartment complex, told News Center 7 Muballigh called her that morning and told her over the phone that she called 911 because she tried to feed the child and she wasn’t responding properly.
“She called 911. And then she ran because she knew she was going to be arrested,” Snow said.
Court documents described the condition of the child as “grossly malnourished” and stated that the child’s legs remain contracted in a fetal position, likely due to malnourishment and extended periods of immobility.
“Oh my god, that makes me sick to my stomach,” Snow said.
Snow said she was there as police, a firetruck, and an ambulance responded to the apartment.
“I watched all of the officers come out to their cars, grab baggies to cover their boots, and they were going in there. I automatically thought it was a crime scene. I thought somebody died,” Snow said.
The child remains in critical condition at a local hospital, according to police.
Snow said she’s just thankful the child is alive.
“I actually thought that the baby passed away, so I’m actually a lot more thankful that she’s at least still fighting, but that is sickening,” she said.
Muballigh is currently booked in the Greene County Jail and is facing a felony count of endangering children.
“Justice and karma will come back to them,” Hill said.
News Center 7 will continue updating this story as we learn more.