2 arrested in Palm Bay after children found covered in filth, attempting to eat grass due to hunger

PALM BAY, Fla. — Two people were arrested over the weekend after police said they found two children covered in filth while wandering a Palm Bay neighborhood.

Investigators said Corey Rickards left her two children with Joanne Hall at a home in Holiday Park, which officials described as a "house of filth."

According to an arrest report, Palm Bay police were called out to the home Saturday after receiving a call from neighbors about children running around the neighborhood.

One officer who responded to the scene said the children were so hungry that they were attempting to eat grass and sticks.

Police said one of the children had a soiled diaper that hung to her knees and was filled with feces.

When an officer asked Hall to change the child's diaper, she refused, according to police.

When investigators looked inside the residence, they said the home was filled with garbage, dirty clothing and large amounts of soiled food crumbs that covered the floor.

A DCF investigator said the home was so cluttered, it was impossible to walk inside and not step in filth. It was also reported that feces smeared the walls and the kitchen counters were covered in garbage.

Hall was released from jail after posting bond.

Rickards remains behind bars on a $10,000 bond.