Baby Found Clinging to Life in Feces-Covered Home: Cops

Four people living under the same roof are now behind bars after an infant was found clinging to life inside an alleged Florida house of horrors.

The property smells very strongly of like animal feces and urine, so I can’t imagine what it’s like inside.

We are getting a fuller picture of the home’s horrific conditions directly from local television station Action News Jax as they visit the property and speak with neighbors.

Frankly, I think if they had been living out in the woods as feral children, they would have probably been in a much cleaner, safer environment than what they were in this home.

The Putnam County Sheriff is also here with his lead detective and they are sharing chilling discoveries they say they found behind closed doors.

We’re on the case presented by Law & Crime. I’m Chris Stewart. These are some of the most difficult cases to talk about. And we’re talking about a home that had scattered garbage and animal urine and feces. And those are just some of the horrific conditions we’re told were found inside the house. Neighbors are also talking about what they have seen from the outside of this home in Floral Home, Florida.

There was literally no food there for the children. Um they weren’t being cared for. They um and here’s the reality of it. This is nothing more than a case of pure unadulterated laziness.

That is the Sheriff Gator Deloach of Putnam County, Florida where all of this is taking place. I just talked to him and his lead investigator on this case, a man named Chris Ashley.

I’m going to be honest, they didn’t hold back when they talk about not just the conditions that only those who experienced it can actually describe, but also why they believe this allegedly happened and the excuses they say the people now in custody had for the conditions that children were living in. And let’s talk about neglect here for a second because maybe you got a neighbor and you feel like they could clean up their house a little bit better.
Maybe you’ve seen a home and you think it’s just something it doesn’t look good for someone as you’re just driving by a place for them to live. Having a messy house, that’s not a crime in itself. But what we’re talking about according to law enforcement is because in this particular case, police say there were people in this home, young children who were completely helpless.
And not just young children, a newborn infant. And because law enforcement say the conditions in this house were so bad, they believe that law enforcement and first responders were able to get to the 6-week-old child before he lost his life. And now police have thrown four different people into jail after an investigation they say has spanned nearly a month.
Now we’re going to get into more here of what this neighbor had to say to local station Action News Jax about the shocking things she says she’s seen from an outside perspective and how the surrounding community tried to step in to help. And we also have the reports directly from police giving a terrifying up-close look of what this home was allegedly hiding behind closed doors.
And then just wait for our interview that we had with the Putnam County Sheriff and his lead detective. Uh they shared some crucial information about how long they believe potentially the conditions were like this in this home. So let’s jump right into this case. This all begins July 7th of this year. And according to police, the Department of Children and Families DCF conducted a follow-up visit at the home involving a 6-week-old infant male.
Now the reason for the follow-up was this infant was allegedly born with marijuana in his system as well as kratom. The police report sites medical experts explaining that infants exposed to those substances are at great risk for strokes, cardiac arrhythmias, respiratory distress, and compromise, impaired neurocognitive development, and severe withdrawal symptoms.
So, it makes sense that DCF wanted to keep a close eye on this baby. And the sheriff told me that the mom, she also allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana throughout the pregnancy. DCF contacted the boy’s mom, 26-year-old Jody Cannon, and observed that the infant was extremely underweight. DCF then asked Cannon when she last took her son to the doctor, and she said she took him when he was 2 weeks old, but she couldn’t provide an exact date.
And when DCF asked Cannon why her son hadn’t been to the doctor since, she said their pediatric office closed, and she hadn’t found another doctor yet. Now, because of the alleged malnourished state of Cannon’s son, DCF advised Cannon that they would take her and the infant to the emergency room. But Cannon reportedly declined.
And that is when DCF reportedly took matters into their own hands and called first responders because this baby needed immediate medical attention. Here’s what police said happened at the hospital. Quote, “Once at the ER, there were positive findings of medical neglect. The infant required PICU admission due to low heart rate, low body temperature, and low weight.
Without DCF’s intervention on July 7th, the infant could have easily died. There were also positive findings of failure to thrive. The infant lost 600 g, which is around 1.3 lb, between birth and 6 weeks of age, which is a lot. The mother, and we’re talking about Jody Cannon here, did not recognize the severity of the illness and even refused when told to go to the ER.
As a result, Jody Cannon was arrested on July 21st for charges of child neglect with great bodily harm, a second-degree felony along with a third-degree felony charge of child neglect. Now, her infant son, along with her two other young children, were also placed in the custody of DCF. And it is, when you hear about how close, according to law enforcement, this 6-week-old was to dying, it is such a good thing that that child is now in the custody of someone else.
If convicted on all charges, Cannon could face up to 20 years in prison. Now, again, we’re obviously thankful that her son is alive, but these circumstances, they are tough to hear. And unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg, according to law enforcement, because there are four people, remember, in custody in this case.
So, I want to fast forward a week later. We’re on July 28th now, and the Putnam County SWAT team and detectives with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant for Jody Cannon’s house. And based on information they received from DCF and other resources about the alleged unsafe conditions that the infant child was living in, they had to move in.
And when law enforcement arrived at the home, they discovered even more people had been living there aside from Jody Cannon and her children. And the sheriff told me that he believes that a total of four children were living in this house. Also living in the home, Jordan Wilson. He is the biological father to Jody Cannon’s children.
Also there, Melissa Keel, who is the children’s biological grandmother, John Keel, who is Jody Cannon’s stepfather, along with Melissa and John’s adopted son. So, he is the fourth who was, at the time, still in their custody. So, now it’s discovered that, at one point, several children were reportedly living inside the home, and here is where this story takes such a disturbing and dark turn.
According to police, a detective, DCF investigator, and a Putnam County code enforcement officer proceed to inspect the residence. And prior to entry, a strong odor of animal urine was emitting from inside the home. Now, we heard from a neighbor who lived down the street from the home for four years, and it sounds similar to what she says she’s witnessed from the outside.

The property smells very strongly of like animal feces and urine, so I can’t imagine what it’s like inside. There comes a point where we need to realize that some people are just evil people and shouldn’t be allowed to have children.

The neighbor also told Action News Jax that several nearby residents allegedly called CPS because of the home and property’s conditions, and she’s made attempts to also contact animal control after allegedly witnessing several dogs locked outside the property without food or water for days, along with several matted dogs running up and down the street. Putnam County Animal Services responded to the television station with a statement explaining they responded to the home and at the time its residents eventually took corrective actions. Now, in our conversation with the sheriff and his detective, they seem to have zeroed in on when this house may have started to get into such bad shape.

So, I want to continue on here though with what we’re learning from court documents because now law enforcement is gearing up to enter the home. And the alleged details there are hard to stomach, especially when you think of the four children who were living inside. Quote, “The entryway led to the living room, which is where the infant’s grandparents Melissa and John Keel slept on couches.
The juvenile slept on a filthy mattress on the floor. There is an infestation of flies not only in the living room, but also in the kitchen and hallway. The flies were also swarming the area where the juvenile was sleeping. As we continued, animal feces and urine were very visible on the floor. On one spot of the floor near a washer and dryer were fresh animal feces with another swarm of flies surrounding it.
The kitchen, the sink had a large number of soiled pots and pans that had not been cleaned for a large amount of time. Under the sink, the pipes had leaked at some point which caused the wood floor to rot with signs of mold showing. The roof above the dining room had been patched but was structurally not sound according to code enforcement.
The ceiling that had mold on it had been painted over with white paint. As law enforcement continued searching the home, they discovered the only usable bathroom was allegedly in disrepair and the floor under the sink was rotting with water damage. As for the bedroom, the infant’s father, Jordan Wilson, was allegedly using Police described its conditions as cluttered and deplorable with flies and cockroaches seen throughout the bedroom.
Police said the room was unsanitary for a juvenile due to used dinner dishes found on the floor of a dresser for an unknown length of time. And it really just gets worse. Quote, “The residents had a refrigerator in the kitchen that had barely enough food for all four people to eat. There were also bugs and a strong unhealthy odor coming from inside the refrigerator that almost made a SWAT team member vomit.
A second stand-up freezer in the kitchen was empty but also had a strong odor coming from inside. Now, due to the disgusting conditions allegedly uncovered, an unsafe structure placard was placed on the home and the remaining child, Melissa and John Keel’s adoptive son, was placed into DCF custody. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said that four dogs and three kittens were also voluntarily surrendered to Putnam County Animal Services in order to be evaluated and placed for adoption.
Due to the voluntary surrender, detectives are not pursuing animal neglect charges in this case. As for now, Jordan Wilson, Melissa Keel, and John Keel were all arrested on third-degree felony child neglect in connection to Cannon’s infant son, which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.
But, according to the Sheriff’s Office, additional charges are possible for all four family members related to the other children residing in the home. There have been no future dates set as of now, but we will keep a close eye on this case as it continues to unfold. Joining us now to talk more about this is Sheriff Gator Deloach of Putnam County, Florida, as well as the lead investigator on this case, Chris Ashley.
Thank you both for taking the time to be with us um today. Let’s just start with what you found in this house. Um how would you characterize and and we’ve seen some pictures from the outside. Um what did you see when you went in the door?

Honestly, Chris, I wish we were able to uh to share the pictures with you from the interior of the residence.

I can tell you in 25 years of being in law enforcement, this is probably one of the most profound child neglect cases I have ever seen in my career. And I think Chris can probably attest to that as well. He’s been doing this for a long time. So, I’ll let Chris go into some of the details, but just a brief chronology.
Uh this There was a child that was born on May 26th, and DCF got involved because when the child was born, they were tested and tested positive for THC or marijuana in their system. Um that prompted a response from DCF. They went out and did a follow-up investigation on July 7th. Uh just a routine home visit to go and check uh to see the child, see how they were doing, see how they were progressing.
Um Deputies and rescue um were contacted by the case worker at the residence. We came out. Uh they had some concerns about some very serious neglect. The baby had lost a significant amount of weight, um had a terrible, terrible case of diaper rash, and just overall did not look well. Um The case worker actually offered previously to take the baby to the pediatrician. Um The caretaker refused.
And rescue ultimately transported the baby to the hospital. So, from there, Detective Ashley began working on the uh working on the case. Uh a forensic medical team at the hospital where the baby was transported to actually made a medical determination that there was neglect. Um the child came to the hospital.
They had uh of course low low body weight like I said, a low heart rate, low temperature, and were frankly on the verge of death according to one of the caretakers. So, I just want to read a brief excerpt from one of the caretakers at the hospital um that’s actually noted in the report. This mother refuses to seek health care when DCF advised she had taken the infant to the emergency that she take the infant to the emergency room.
When this infant was presented to the emergency room, the infant required admission to the pediatric intensive care unit due to low heart rate, low body temperature, and low weight. Without DCF intervention on July 7th, the infant could have easily died. This mother did not recognize the severity of the illness that the infant was experiencing and even refused when told to go to the ER.
The child is at serious risk of illness or death if ever left in the care of this mother again in the future.

Wow. And

So,

Yeah. It’s just

terrible.

That illustrates the uh you know the the level of neglect that we’re we’re talking about here. Um this is not to downplay any child neglect, but this is a this is a very serious, very profound case like I said.

Um so, I’ll let Chris uh you know weigh in on this and and share with you a little bit about what he found. Um not to steal his thunder, but uh you know this place was the living conditions were were absolutely abhorrent. There were animal feces all over the place um smeared all over the poor children’s feet and just rancid food left out in bedrooms.
Uh absolutely deplorable.

Yeah, Chris, how soon, like as you’re approaching this house, did you realize that this was going to be a a very, you know, not not only just because of the the concerns about the child at the hospital, but also just kind of as you’re approaching it, like what stood out to you?

Uh it wasn’t until you got to the front door.

And when you got to the door, you’re just automatically hit with the smell of pet urine, ammonia. Um you step in and you’re just stepping into swarms of flies just throughout the house. And I mean, I’ve never seen so many flies in one place in my life. Uh it was just bad. You just walk through every room just had swarms of flies. Um they the two adults and the the juvenile slept in the living room.
And the juvenile was sleeping on a mat a mattress, and that mattress had swarms of flies. Uh you know, just around the mattress, so I don’t know how that kid was able to um to sleep at all. And then you just keep going into the house and it just gets worse and worse and worse uh just going through it.

What did the the people who are living at the house, and I know four people uh these adults are are facing charges now in this case, but like when you talked to them, you know, what did they say about these conditions?

Well, they they only knew it was bad and um they I guess what started was a hurricane about 3 years ago that tore a hole in the roof. And instead of getting it professionally repaired, they just put a tarp over it, and the tarps ended up leaking. And um I I got a video from a third party that showed the water just coming out of the ceiling down the drapes into buckets.

And when DCF went back in, I think um, one of their earlier visits, they took pictures of the drapes and the drapes had mold on it. Uh, black mold. And, um, so, they actually patched the ceiling with plywood and then painted over the mold, but they if you’re familiar with black mold, it’s all in the attic on the roof choice and all that.
So, they didn’t get it professionally removed. If you don’t get it professionally removed, it’s going to just continue to grow, uh, no matter what you do. So, uh, they they were very aware of how bad that house was.

Chris, let me see if I can summarize one of the, uh, one of the interviews for you without divulging anything confidential or compromising the case.

Uh, let it suffice to say that, no matter what the question that was asked, they had an excuse for everything. And the fact of the matter is there is absolutely no excuse for anyone, much less children, to be exposed to an environment like this.

Yeah, and it’s just, I mean, firstly, you just wonder how someone just from a health standpoint would would actually be able to live in conditions like that.

I mean, you just think of the flies and, you know, this time of year in Florida and just how humid it can get, but there were two other children in the home as well, right? So, you have this this infant, this newborn, really, and then

Yeah, there was actually a total of four children.

Four children.

And how are they doing? Like, what what health concerns did do you have for them considering the conditions they were in?

Well, I can’t necessarily say that they’re thriving, but they’ve been placed in, uh, foster care. Uh, so, they’re obviously in a much better environment than they were in. Um, frankly, I think if they’d been living out in the woods as feral children, they would have probably been in a much cleaner, safer environment than what they were in this home.

And when it comes to when you say like at the hospital, there’s kind of this determination that this is a neglect case. And, you know, you know, unfortunately, we see across the country, you know, there are homes where you could say, you know, someone could do a better job keeping it clean. Like, what is the bar when you get to that point where we’re not just talking about someone who fell on hard times or or might have a house in disarray.

Like what is the bar when you get to the point of something like this? I know this may go well beyond what that bar may be, but when it gets to the point where you feel like you have probable cause for neglect case.

Well, you know, some of what we’ve already highlighted. Um, you know, just the uh the failure to keep the the home in a in a safe environment.

There was literally no food there for the children. Um, they weren’t being cared for. They um and here’s the reality of it. This is nothing more than a case of pure unadulterated laziness. If you go through and you actually look at some of the photos, you can see cleaning supplies in the home. So, they had the means and the ability to clean this place up and they were just lazy.

Was there any prior interaction with this family with either law enforcement? I know DCF had been involved after um the child was born and some of the concerns at the hospital, but like like was this a family on your radar prior to this?

Uh Chris, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we’d been out there once in the past uh sometime ago.

Um, but nothing nothing of any significance that I’m aware of.

And the the newborn child, was that child born at a hospital? You know, like what what’s typically the process? And I know DCF was getting involved, but some people might look and just say like, you know, when you have a child born with marijuana in their system and I think kratom was also in their their system as well.

Um, like how does the law kind of view that where a mother could still take their child home, but then DCF gets involved? Like what’s that process typically like?

DCF views that as uh you know, something that um is not favorable for the child or the parents.

Um, but they do everything they can in most cases to try and keep families united without uh you know, without separating them.
Um, and as part of this case, like I said, they were going out there and doing routine follow-up visits. Um, and it’s also worth noting that this mother said she was using marijuana while she was pregnant with the child. Obviously, that shows up in the drug screen whenever the child is born, but this is not you know medical grade cannabis that she was going and getting from a dispensary.
She was going and buying this uh fake marijuana delta 9 THC, whatever it is, that you can go to any convenience store and and and get. So, you know, absolutely no excuse for for this behavior.

What happens to the house now?

So, Chris, I’ll uh

The

you take that.

is actually condemned uh through our code enforcement department.

Um so, once they get out, uh they have the opportunity to repair the house, but they have to do it during the day. Uh they can’t be in the house at night. Uh they’ve got to get all kinds of permits and all that to even start the work. Um from talking with family, I believe that the the house is actually owned by um an older uh relative.
It would be uh grandma great grandma or the lady’s grandmother. Um so, I don’t see them actually going back into the house at any point or even fixing the house. It might just

Chris, I’m not a contractor, so I can’t offer any sort of professional opinion. Uh but probably the best way to address this home uh would be with a match and to start over. It’s that bad.

Yeah, yeah, I mean, it certainly sounds like it from from the way you’ve been describing it. And I know there’s only so much you can say about interactions you’ve had with suspects in this case, but as far as the mom and her not wanting to take this child even when told by by DCF to take this child to seek medical care, was was there any reason why she wouldn’t want you with all the health concerns that were there that she wouldn’t want to take her child to go see a doctor?

Nothing more than pure unadulterated laziness and more excuses that we got whenever whenever she was interviewed. And I really wish I could tell you more, but we we can’t because we can’t share those details from those interviews for a multitude of reasons not the least of which it may compromise the investigation, but this this should have never never happened.

Yeah, it’s it just sounds it just sounds awful. I’m sure experiencing it Chris actually going into this house you know certainly an experience you don’t want to go through again. Just lastly what’s next in this case? What’s going to happen next?

So the all of these charges have been referred to the state attorney’s office.

They’re actually taking care of the prosecution and they’re working hand in hand with detective Ashley and some of our other investigators to see this case through to fruition prosecution and bring it to a close.

Just just a horrific horrific case Sheriff Gator Deloach of Putnam County, Florida and Chris Ashley lead investigator of this case.

Thank you both for the work you do first and foremost and and thanks for speaking with us about this case. I mean it’s just it’s it’s so concerning and and you know you have worries about how many houses like that are out there, but fortunately for these children they’re they’re out of that situation.
Thanks for thanks for joining us.

Absolutely. Thank you so much.

That will do it for on the case presented by Law & Crime.