Two Massachusetts women are facing disturbing charges after authorities say they went to a home to execute a search warrant related to drug charges, but instead found children living in "deplorable conditions."
"All I have to say is that they lied on me and I'm going to prove my innocence," said defendant Sheyla Montalvo.
When asked, "Are you a good mother?" Sheyla responded, "I am a wonderful mother."
Twenty-four-year-old Sheyla Montalvo defended herself outside court Monday, denying claims made by investigators that her two children, ages 6 and 3, are living in "deplorable" conditions in her King Street apartment in Worcester.
"I love my kids and I'm going to get them back and I'm going to prove my innocence, I'm going to prove everyone wrong," Montalvo said.
On Friday night, Worcester police executed a search warrant on the third floor apartment Montalvo shares with her wife and co-defendant, 29-year-old Natasha Riley-Murphy.
The two women are accused of trafficking heroin, morphine and opioids.
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Prosecutors allege police found drugs and thousands of dollars in cash in the apartment with Montalvo's two children and 5-year-old nephew.
But they allege that's not all they found.
"The apartment was in extreme disarray, there were cat and dog feces found on all floors in all the rooms, within the apartment, the apartment was infested with mice including a cat that had a live mouse in its mouth," ADA Lina Pashou said.
In an exclusive interview with necn, Riley-Murphy says the family's two dogs and a cat were just so scared when police executed the search warrant they made a mess.
"That house was not like that, yes we have one dog that poops, but he does it with us, he gets scared and he poops and pees on us," said Riley-Murphy.
She says she and her wife blame the police for leaving their house in the condition it's in now.
"I believe they ransacked our house and did that because they were mad, their original warrant was for heroin, they didn't find that," Riley-Murphy said.
Necn searched the Board of Health records and found that Inspectional Services was at 12 King St. as recently as Dec. 4, and found violations for evidence of insects, rodents and skunks.
The determined "the entire structure must be professionally exterminated and all points of entry sealed."
Montalvo and Riley-Murphy say that's the owner's responsibility and claim that never happened.
