Three Pennsylvania residents charged after naked child escapes hoarder home

Troopers from the Pennsylvania State Police Jonestown station arrested three people on Friday after a naked five-year-old boy escaped a hoarder home and was found walking in the middle of a road. Officers responded to Quarry Road and South Lancaster Street at approximately 7:30 a.m. following reports of a lone child wandering without clothes. Good Samaritans held the young boy until first responders arrived at the scene.

WGAL reported that the child was transported to WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital for a medical evaluation. Investigators subsequently identified a nearby residence on Poplar Street as the location from which the child had escaped. Inside the property, authorities observed severe hoarder conditions, featuring trash piled throughout the rooms, limited space to manoeuvre due to extreme clutter, and hundreds of flies.

One room, later identified as the child's bedroom, featured a baby gate secured to the outside of the door frame with numerous zip ties and duct tape. Multiple wooden boards were also drilled into the outside of the frame above the gate to prevent the child from escaping. Inside the bedroom, police discovered faeces smeared on the walls and window, a torn-apart bed covered in food, trash on the floor, and scattered children's toys alongside hundreds of flies.

Police arrested Jade Shuey, 21, Tucker Heagy, 20, and Stephanie Schaffner, 42, charging them all with felony endangering the welfare of children. Citing an affidavit, WGAL reported that Shuey admitted the boy was usually fed through the gate and occasionally went longer than a week without a bath. The suspects allegedly purchased zip ties in bulk because five to ten zip ties had to be cut open each time the child was let out. Court records show that the three suspects have not made bail and remain in custody, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 23.