The MELENDEZ Children - 3 and 2 yo and 9 months - Bristol PA

A Bristol Township woman who lost custody of her three children
after police found them locked in a filthy bedroom while a loud party
was going on in the rest of the home, was sentenced Tuesday in Bucks
County court in Doylestown.


Vanessa Melendez, 22, of Elizabeth Lane, pleaded guilty
to child endangerment and was sentenced to time served to 23 months in
the county prison.


Judge Albert Cepparulo gave her credit for four months she’s spent in prison since her arrest and paroled her.


The judge also ordered Melendez to serve two years of
probation and complete a parenting class. She must undergo a mental
health evaluation, and is barred from overseeing the care of any minors
during her sentence.


“She is extremely remorseful and wants to better herself so she can
eventually be reunited with her children,” said Melendez’s attorney,
Ken Hone.


Police in August arrested Melendez following neighbors’ complaints about music blaring from her Orangewood Park apartment.


Officers arrived around 1:30 a.m. and found her three children, ages
3, 2 and 9 months, locked in a bedroom that smelled of feces.







One of the children had no pants on and was lying on a urine-soaked
mattress. The 9-month-old’s diaper was so full, police surmised that it
hadn’t been changed for hours.


There was no food or water in the bedroom. Officers found half-empty bottles of alcohol scattered around the living room.


Following an investigation by Children and Youth, the county’s child
protective services agency, the children were placed in the custody of
a relative where they still remain.


Melendez apologized for the crime in court. Hone said that she was
unemployed and depressed at the time of the crime, and overwhelmed with
the responsibility of caring for three children.


“She is estranged from her husband, who is away serving in the
military. She got married at a very young age and had three children.
It was a lot for her to handle.”


Hone said that Melendez is now being treated for her depression and
is committed to turning her life around. She’s completed numerous
self-help classes since her arrest and spent time in a recovery house
to address her substance abuse issues.


“This has completely destroyed her, but she’s going to do everything in her power to make it up to her children,” Hone said.