Three Joplin children found in home filled with cockroaches, trash, animal feces

A Joplin couple is being held in the city jail for allegedly endangering three children by having them in a residence filled with cockroaches, trash and animal feces, according to documents filed today in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Derek Lee Word, 35, is being held on a $50,000 surety bond or $5,000 cash on an endangering the welfare of a child.

Victoria Elizabeth Word, 32, is charged with three counts of child abuse or neglect and is being held on a $75,000 surety bond or $7,500 cash.

Conditions of the bond for both is that they have no contact with the children unless authorized by Juvenile Court.

From Derek Word's probable cause statement:

Upon my arrival, I contacted Derek Word {who was} extremely intoxicated with his three juvenile children, V1, V2, V3 all asleep inside. At this time, Mr. Word was the only adult at the residence.

The residence was in complete disarray and covered in trash, animal feces, cockroaches and children's toys. The residence smelled strongly of animal and human urine/feces causing a sense of nausea and disgust.

V2 was observed first and found completely naked inside of a locked bedroom that was also covered in urine and feces. V2 was curled up on the floor with no blanket. It appeared that the urine and feces was caused by V2 due to her being locked in a bedroom with no diaper. The door was locked from the outside and was positioned at the top of the door, only allowing an adult to access it.

V1 and V3 were both located in a shared bedroom that completely covered in trash with no room to step. When items on the floor were moved cockroaches would scurry over Officer's boots.

Mr. Word at one point had to be assisted to his feet and supported to a patrol car proving that he was not capable of caring for any of the juvenile children in the house.

No probable cause statement had been filed in Victoria Word's online file, but the charging information says she left the residence in the middle of the night leaving the children alone with no way to contact anyone in case of an emergency and indicated she was the one who left the child in the locked room.