BOISE, Idaho — Boise Police are investigating the death of a child in a West Boise home, where officers found several children living in "deplorable, unsafe" conditions.
Ada County Dispatch received a call at 8:19 am on April 18 from a caretaker reporting they found their young teenage son deceased in their house on W. Russett Street in Boise.
Officers determined eight children lived in the house including the deceased child.
SVU Lieutenant Josiah Ransom described the conditions in the house as deplorable, unsafe, some of the worst he has seen in his career, and not fit for habitation by anyone, let alone children.
The seven living children found in the home were placed into the custody of the Department of Health and Welfare.
Boise Police Violent Crime Detectives, who investigate all unattended deaths in circumstances such as these, are being assisted by Special Victims Unit Detectives in this investigation. Special Victims Unit Detectives normally investigate cases of potential child neglect or injury.
BPD has not yet determined the teen's cause of death. The Ada County Coroner's Office is working to determine more details of the death.
“It is always troubling when a young person dies and our officers and detectives are working diligently to determine what factors may have contributed to this situation and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it," Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said. "We will not know until the investigation is complete if this teen’s death was due to an ongoing medical situation/complication, or some other contributing factor, and I express my sympathy for the passing of this young boy.”
