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Florida parents arrested after police discover toddler living in car with cockroaches, reptiles, guns, drugs
By Andrew Miller
Published December 23, 2022
A couple in the Florida Keys is under arrest on a slew of charges after their 2-year-old son was found living in "squalid conditions" in their car.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that Zachary Sousa Engren, 22, and Jillian Larae Meyers, 20, were arrested after a traffic stop when police discovered a young child in their car filled with trash, reptiles and insects in assorted boxes in the trunk, and cockroaches crawling on the child.
Police say the child smelled of human waste, and the parents were unable to provide a clear story about when he was last fed or why no diapers were found in the car.
The parents, along with a third male passenger who was not charged, told police they were living in the vehicle.
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From left to right, Jillian Larae Meyers, 20, and Zachary Sousa Engren, 22. (Monroe County Sheriff's Office)
"A strong odor of marijuana was emitting from the vehicle," police said. "Deputies found a .40-caliber Glock handgun under the passenger seat as well as multiple marijuana cigarettes and loose marijuana in the vehicle."
The male passenger said the group was in the Florida Keys to collect reptiles and insects.
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Aerial scenic Key West Florida photo (iStock)
Deputies removed the child from the vehicle and contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to the Facebook post.
Police say they originally stopped the car due to reports of a reckless driver.
The highway extends U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys and runs all the way to Key West. (iStock)
Engren and Meyers were taken to jail where they were both charged with child abuse, possession of marijuana, possession of synthetic marijuana, and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.
Engren was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and Meyers faces an additional charge of possession of a concealed firearm without a permit, according to police.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-parents-arrested-police-discover-toddler-living-car-cockroaches-reptiles-guns-drugs