TOLEDO, Ohio — A west Toledo mother charged with endangering her children was arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon.
Maryann Baran and her husband, Jason, were both charged after Toledo police did a child wellness check on the home on Aug. 31.
Their report states they found the Baran's children emaciated and without food, clothes, or furniture and covered in mud and feces.
But it's not the first time officers were at the house and saw these conditions. Officers also responded in June and July, and TPD is currently holding an internal investigation into why arrests were not made before August.
Now both Barans have seen a judge. Maryann pleaded not guilty Tuesday to her child endangerment charges. Now, she'll be joining her husband in fighting these charges in court.
As for how long these alleged conditions have been going on, WTOL 11 went to their apartment complex off Douglas Road to get more answers.
While none of the Barans' neighbors felt comfortable going on camera, they had no problems talking about what living next to them was like, describing them as rude and distant, often seeing the Barans' children looking emaciated and hungry, running around naked outside.
None of them could remember a time they saw the children wearing clothes.
One neighbor told WTOL 11 she and her husband called child protective services at least twice this summer, once in June and then again in August, but it wasn't until Aug. 31 when police finally executed a child wellness check, despite noting similar conditions in June and July.
TPD's August reports described inhumane conditions and stories of physical and sexual abuse, which led to charges for both parents and the children going to foster care.
Christie Jenkins, the CEO of the Family and Child Abuse Prevention Center, said it's going to take a lot of work to make these children whole again.
"Who knows if they're going to need medical care because they're so emaciated. They'll need mental health treatment," Jenkins said. "From what I understand, some of the children aren't super verbal because they haven't been enrolled in school, so just a total wraparound."
WTOL 11 spoke to Maryann this afternoon to try to get her side of the story, but she declined an on-camera interview.