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Metro Atlanta mom charged with child abuse
A mother is in custody after Douglasville police discovered six children abandoned in a home. According to one of the children, they had nothing to eat and resorted to eating roaches and ants.
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - A Douglasville mother faces six counts of child cruelty after investigators discovered six young children living in deplorable conditions and left unsupervised for half a day.
Six children left alone in Douglasville home
What we know:
Douglasville police arrested Sherry Magby and charged her with six counts of second-degree child cruelty.
Investigators say six children, ranging in age from 1 to 10 years old, were left home alone for approximately 12 hours.
During that time, the 10-year-old was left in charge of the younger siblings, including a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old.
The 10-year-old told police that the children ate roaches and ants while left alone.
When investigators entered the home on James D. Simpson Avenue, they reported a foul odor and found the house in disarray.
Neighbors witnessed an ambulance arrive at the home to take a baby, though the vehicle did not use its sirens when it departed.
Details on child's condition
What we don't know:
Police have not released the current condition of the baby taken by ambulance or confirmed the specific medical reason for the transport.
It is also unclear where the children's father was at the time of the incident or what Magby's current employment status is.
Neighbor recalls unsupervised children
What they're saying:
A neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, said she often saw the children playing outside late at night without their mother.
"At one time I told my husband we might need to do a welfare check because he came home like 12 o'clock one night and the kids was outside playing. She wasn't there," the neighbor said.
The neighbor expressed heartbreak over the allegations that the children were hungry. "If I knew they didn't have food to eat, I would have fed them. I would've fed them. It's just sad, you know, that kids that small have to live like that. Reach out to somebody, go to a neighbor."
Mother faces prior cruelty charges
The backstory:
This is not the first time Magby has faced legal trouble involving children. According to reports in the Douglas County Sentinel, Magby is scheduled to go to trial in May for separate charges of aggravated assault and child cruelty stemming from an incident in 2023.
Police continue cruelty investigation
What's next:
The Douglasville Police Department describes the investigation as ongoing. Magby remains in jail as the case proceeds through the court system.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Douglasville Police arrest warrants, an on-scene report by FOX 5 reporter Kevyn Stewart, and reports from the Douglas County Sentinel.