Police: Six kids removed from Detroit home with cat feces, dirty diapers, no power

Police found the children inside, living in "deplorable" conditions inside the residence.

On Tuesday, the six children were removed from the home on Holmes Street and escorted into a Detroit Police cruiser.

"It appears there was no heat in the house, cat feces in there," but that's not all, Assistant Chief Steve Dolunt said. "There's open garbage and used diapers."

This is the second time police were at the house in two days. A neighbor called and told them the six kids, ranging in age from six months to eight years, were left inside the home alone. 

In fact, they were not alone. They were left in the care of that same neighbor's 19-year-old son.

"Talked to the young man again and the young man said 'Yes there are kids in here and I'm watching them,'" Dolunt said.

Markita Mitchell is the mother of the six children. She told police she was waiting on DTE to turn the electricity back on and that her and the children had not been staying at the home. 

She said they were only returning Monday, when police were first called.

"She says she had a hotel for a week, which is good," Dolunt said. "I'm glad to hear that, but that her home isn't usually that messy."

Mitchell told FOX 2's Erika Erickson that her children are well cared for and the allegations of neglect come from a spiteful neighbor.

"They're taken care of," Mitchell said. "This is all a matter of she's trying to find a way to hate and it didn't work. We're about to go down here. I still got everything ... still got my babies."

That didn't stop Detroit police. They took the children as Child Protective Services opened an investigation. 

All of this came the day before Mitchell says one of daughters has a birthday and she was stunned her daughter rode in the back of a police car.

"Tomorrow is my daughter's birthday and (they) let her ride in the back of a police car," Mitchell said.

Police hope to keep the children with family members but they say the children will not return to the home. 

"The kids look healthy;" Dolunt said. "They had an adult babysitter, I can't criticize her for that, but there's no excuse for inside of that house."

Detroit police say the children showed no signs of abuse and criminal charges are not likely, however, Child Protective Services is investigating.