Glendale parents arrested after children found living in ‘deplorable conditions,’ police say

PHOENIX — Two parents have been arrested after their children were discovered to be living in “deplorable conditions” in the West Valley last week, authorities said.

The Glendale Police Department identified the parents as 41-year-old Arthur James Jackson Jr. and 36-year-old Sara Jessica Jackson.

“These children were living in deplorable conditions, … basically they were treated like animals,” Glendale PD spokesperson Jose Santiago said during a Monday press conference. “In many cases, I will tell you, people treat their animals way better than these children were treated.”

Each of the parents were booked into jail on two counts of child abuse and are both being held on a $25,000 bond.

What led to the Glendale parents being arrested for child abuse?

According to Sgt. Bryan Hoskin, police received a call on Thursday around 1:38 p.m. from a concerned citizen who witnessed a naked child through an apartment window in south Glendale. The caller said that they were familiar with the area and had never seen a child at the residence, which is why they were requesting a welfare check.

When officers arrived at the scene, they spoke with Sara Jackson and found two boys inside, a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old.

“The children were found in extremely unsanitary condition and showed signs of significant developmental delays,” Hoskin said. “One child was non-verbal and the other was minimally verbal. Officers also immediately noticed a strong odor consistent with feces and urine coming from the residence.”

Hoskin added that officers made note of “severe and hazardous living conditions” throughout the apartment, including:

• Widespread feces that contaminated the floors, walls, ceilings and bedding
• Exposed wiring
• Large piles of belongings restricting movement inside the apartment
• Insect infestations
• A bucket of contaminated water

There were also multiple firearms located in the home. One of them was a handgun found near where the children were sleeping, according to Hoskin.

“Detectives when speaking with Sara Jackson stated that the children has not been to see doctor since birth,” Hoskin said. “(Arthur Jackson) later confirmed the children had not received medical care in years and had never attended school or any formal education.”

It was noted that the children were kept in the bedroom of the apartment and not allowed access to a bathroom.

“These parents used child safety gates and created a barrier that caged the children up in a bedroom environment,” Santiago said. “Although they were supplying food to the children, the children had no direct access to a bathroom. … So the children were living in their own waste even though they were still being supplied food.”

Arthur Jackson told police that the children were locked in the room while he was at work, adding that he works six days a week up to nine hours a day. However, Sara Jackson said they were locked in the bedroom 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The two boys were taken to a hospital to be evaluated and were cleared with no major immediate health concerns.

The children have since been placed in the custody of the Department of Child Safety. A family pet was also removed from the home.

“These parents showed really no signs of any kind of remorse or any kind of shock when our officers arrived,” Santiago said. “They basically acted as if this was just a normal activity.”

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