LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two parents have been charged with child abuse after an 8-year-old was critically injured in a crash Sunday night in northeast Las Vegas, leading detectives to discover children living in alleged deplorable conditions.
The incident happened around 9:33 p.m. near North Lamb Boulevard and North Las Vegas Boulevard, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
Police said the child was crossing North Las Vegas Boulevard outside of a marked or implied crosswalk at the same time a 2011 Hyundai Elantra was heading north on that roadway. Police said the child crossed the car's path, resulting in a crash.
The child was taken to the hospital, where their injuries were determined to be critical.
Mark Ecott, 35, and Aubrey Lambdin, 30, each face four counts of child abuse/neglect. Both were arrested Monday and booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
Channel 13 received an arrest report for Ecott, unveiling what led investigators to charge him and Lambdin, including what officers described the home where their four children — ranging in age from 7-11 — lived as being in "complete shambles."
Ecott told investigators that he and Lambdin were married for 13 years but recently separated in the past few months. Investigators said Lambdin visited the home as recently as two days before the crash.
According to an arrest report for Ecott, he told officers that his 11-year-old and 8-year-old sons were out playing in the neighborhood when the 11-year-old notified Ecott that the 8-year-old was hit by a car.
"At this point traffic officers on scene determined that there were suspicious circumstances as to why the children were out alone on a dark busy street," the arrest report states.
A detective arrived at the home and reported immediately seeing "disarray," including the front yard and driveway covered in trash, broken windows boarded up, and the smell of cat urine and dog feces coming from inside the house.
Detectives later secured a search warrant and contacted Child Protective Services.
"Upon entering the residence, it was in complete shambles," the arrest report states.
Investigators said the floor was covered in animal feces, ants, cockroaches, "and other filth and dirt." According to detectives, the 11-year-old showed them the room he slept in, which was filled with trash, dog feces and spider webs.
The children were described by detectives as being "visibly dirty," though Ecott claimed they showered the day before.
The fridge was also found not to be working and all the food inside had spoiled, detectives said. The 11-year-old said they used a microwave that was plugged in and placed on a fabric chair, which investigators said is a fire hazard.
"Overall, the state of the home was in such disarray that it is truly indescribable to put into words," the arrest report states. "That state of the home is not livable conditions for an adult let alone children."
The 11-year-old told detectives that he uses the money he makes from helping a neighbor move large items to buy milk and food for the home.
According to the arrest report, the 11-year-old shouldered the blame for the situation, "showing he truly does not understand the parent and child dynamic."
"He believes that he can clean the home and fix the issues and help his parents be actual parents," detectives said.
The four children were removed from the home by CPS. Four dogs inside the home were also taken by animal control.
"The property in its entirety is so disgustingly destroyed that the whole property should be condemned," investigators wrote in the arrest report. "A home does not turn this horrific overnight; this has been a long process of Mark and Aubrey not caring for the children their entire lives."
