A New Jersey mother was arrested on child endangerment charges after giving birth to twins -- her 6th and 7th children -- earlier this week, police said. The woman, along with the father of her five other children, allegedly left their five other children in a home strewn with human waste.
Haydee Santana, 23, and Johnathan Rivas, 25, are both facing multiple charges. The Trenton couple is accused of locking their 3-year-old twins in a bathroom "day and night," Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor Michael Mennuti told the Times of Trenton.
Authorities were alerted to the deplorable conditions -- the house on the 100 block of Woodland Street did not have electricity or gas -- in October after the couple's eldest child, a 5-year-old girl, told school officials, according to investigators.
The 3-year-old twins also had severe diaper rash and all five children -- the youngest is 18-months-old -- were malnourished and needed medical attention.
Rivas turned himself into police Thursday night. Santana was arrested earlier in the week after giving birth to another set of twins at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton. Mennuti told the Times of Trenton that the children are now doing well and have gained weight since being removed from their mother's care.
Since birth, all five children have been in and out of state custody, according to authorities. Their health has improved substantially since they were removed from the home, according to prosecutors.
Their parents are jailed in lieu of $150,000.
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It is unclear if Rivas has an attorney. Maleika Montgomery, an attorney for Santana, spoke during the accused woman's bail hearing, saying her client was caring for her children as best she could, The Trentonian reported. The paper also reported Montgomery interjected when the state suggested Santana could face up to 50 years behind bars, telling the court it was too early to discuss possible prison terms.
