Couple arrested after autistic adult sons found living in ‘deplorable conditions’
A Joshua Tree couple has been arrested for allegedly housing their two dependent adult sons in ‘deplorable conditions’, according to a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department news release.
On Tuesday at 10:31 a.m., Sheriff’s deputies conducted an Adult Protective Services Follow Up in the 4000 block of Avenida Del Sol in Joshua Tree, where 48-year-old Melinda Zeppenfeldt and 55-year-old Edward Zeppenfeldt lived with their two adults sons, who are diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.
While at the residence, deputies discovered piles of garbage scattered throughout the property, as well as ‘trash, rat feces, dirt, and sharp objects’ spread across the floors of the residence. The doors and walls had significant damage throughout the residence, and exposed electrical wiring was visible through holes in the drywall.
One neighbor tells KESQ & CBS Local 2’s Lauren Coronado, police had visited the home on several occasions after neighbors reported trash in the yard and accusing the couple living there of neglecting their special needs sons.
“I don’t blame him (one son). I blame the parents, because if my kid was doing that, I would take care of him,” said Patty, a long time Joshua Tree resident. “He’s got something wrong in the head. He walks around taking his clothes off, or just no clothes.”
Cabinets in the apartment were filled with ‘large amount’ of rat feces, and one bedroom had human feces covering the walls. Deputies deemed the condition of the residence to be ‘deplorable’ and a health risk to the dependent sons and arrested Melinda and Edward Zeppendfeldt.
The Zeppendfeldt parents were booked into West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga for Abuse of a Dependent Adult. They are being held on $50,000 bail each.
A Sergeant with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department says the couple was cooperative when they were detained by police. They told police they were in the process of moving, but there was no visible evidence of a move.
Anyone with information relating to this incident is urged to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175. To issue an anonymous tip, use the We-Tip hotline at 1-888-78-CRIME or go to wetip.com.
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