Parents hid from police while fire blazed around 3 young children who were left alone for a week in house with 'army of roaches': Authorities

A parent and begetter are accused of leaving their children to fend for themselves successful a South Carolina location filled with cockroaches portion a fire burned.

Zana Oden, 28, and Malik Locke, 21, are each charged with 3 counts of neglect by a ineligible custodian, according to Richland County jailhouse records reviewed by Law&Crime. Oden is being held successful the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center connected $300,000 enslaved portion Locke is being held connected $200,000 bond.

At astir 9:30 p.m. connected Monday, officers with the Columbia Police Department said they arrived astatine a location "to find fume coming from the residence." Firefighters were besides there, and they forced their mode wrong and "immediately encountered dense fume and rapidly deteriorating interior conditions."

The occurrence wrong the home, located connected Floran Street successful Columbia, South Carolina, according to section NBC and The CW affiliate WIS, was blazing successful the beforehand conception of the house. As firefighters worked to incorporate it, they recovered 3 children — ages 6, 4 and 2 — "in and adjacent respective bedrooms."

Authorities "quickly" took the kids from the location and gave them aesculapian attraction "for terrible pain injuries," the constabulary section said. The children were past brought to a section infirmary earlier being transferred to Augusta Burn Center successful Georgia.

Police said that arsenic of Tuesday evening, each 3 children remained successful "critical but unchangeable information portion receiving specialized aesculapian care."

Authorities noted that nary adults were astatine the location astatine the clip of the fire. Investigators accidental they tracked Oden to an flat astir a mile distant connected Ripplemeyer Avenue. They accidental that erstwhile they tried to instrumentality her into custody, she tried to "evade apprehension by hiding wrong a closet."

She was arrested. It is unclear if Locke was besides astatine the flat connected Ripplemeyer.

Locke is the begetter of 1 of the children, portion Oden is the parent of each three, according to the section outlet. During a enslaved proceeding connected Wednesday, prosecutors alleged the children were location unsocial for astatine slightest a week earlier the fire.

The youngest kid was precise malnourished, and 1 of the kids had insects successful her diaper, authorities said. A victims' advocator reportedly claimed that Oden admitted to leaving the location but tried to travel backmost until she saw constabulary and fled again, portion Locke's lawyer said helium had been kicked retired of the house.

"We had cognition that she was successful the area," Columbia Deputy Police Chief Melron Kelly said of Oden, per country CBS affiliate WLTX. "Even aft knowing what had happened here, she inactive did not interaction instrumentality enforcement; she inactive didn't interaction household members."

Authorities allege that Locke knew the occurrence was blazing, too, and warned Oden astir police.

Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins said the conditions wrong the location were "deplorable," adding that determination were "big roaches … an service of roaches" successful the location "getting each implicit these kids."

Authorities reportedly suggested further charges could beryllium coming for the parent and father.