Children removed from Sikeston couple's home

SIKESTON, Mo. -- A Sikeston couple was arrested Wednesday following an investigation into the living conditions of two children in their home.

Robert L. Blankenship Jr., 41, and Barbara Finger, 24, of 68 Connie Lane in Sikeston were charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Investigators were responding to reports of a small child playing unattended near a construction site; the child had fallen into a pond earlier in the day, according to investigators.

Officers entered the back of the mobile home by a narrow path through trash because the front door was not usable, according to Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter. In several places inside the home, there were stains from dog feces, and bedrooms smelled of urine.

According to Walter, the conditions in the home were the worst he had seen in a while.

An investigator from the Division of Family services removed the two children from the home and placed them with relatives.