On Friday of last week, Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader released a statement about a horrendous case of child neglect in Chattooga County.  A couple have been jailed after the sheriff’s department investigated the severe chase of child neglect.

Two of the couple’s small children were taken to AtriumHealth Floyd Medical Center Emergency Room in Rome.  Both of the toddlers were unable to walk or stand due to severe malnutrition and dehydration.  Emergency room workers notified the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office about the obvious case of abuse and neglect.

Joseph David Wilson, Jr. and Santeria Watkins, both age twenty-two and both of Summerville, were charged with three counts each of cruelty to children in the first degree and two counts of cruelty to children in the second degree and other charges.

The reaction to the abuse has left some questioning how the two children could have gotten in the severe condition they were in without someone notifying authorities earlier.  A third child of the couple was in the care of a family member and was also found to have been neglected, but not to the degree as the two smaller children age twelve months and twenty-three months.

The Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the case.