A June 2024, photo of the Muncie, Indiana home where Daniel Good allegedly kept his 5-year-old daughter and a 78-year-old woman in “unlivable” conditions (Google Maps).
A 25-year-old father in Indiana was arrested for allegedly keeping his 5-year-old daughter and a 78-year-old woman in a home so filthy and decrepit that authorities wearing hazmat suits were overwhelmed by sights and smells inside of the residence.
Daniel Matthew Good was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with one count of felony neglect of a dependent, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
An officer with the Muncie Police Department on Sept. 25 responded to a home in the 1600 block of East Andover Avenue regarding a need for assistance, the local Star Press reported, citing a probable cause affidavit. The call reportedly came from a social worker who had spoken with a 78-year-old woman in the residence in need of medical assistance.
Upon arriving at the home, the officer made contact with emergency medical personnel who explained that the 78-year-old victim was covered in lice and other bugs, saying they were “all over her body,” Indianapolis Fox affiliate WXIN reported. The elderly victim”s relationship to Good was not immediately clear.
The leaseholder of the home reportedly informed authorities that he had previously spoken with the tenant, whom he identified as Good, and informed him that he had to clean the residence, but claimed Good would not listen. The leaseholder also notified police that Good had a 5-year-old daughter who lived in the home with him and the elderly woman.
The officer described the home as “deplorable, unacceptable and filthy,” per the Star Press.
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As the officer prepared to enter the home, the Muncie Fire Department reportedly told him he would have to wear a hazmat suit as well as a gas mask due to “bugs, flies, smells and other issues” inside the home. Upon entering, the officer described watching cockroaches and bedbugs “scurry through the door” before he was hit with a stench he described as “so bad it made my eyes water.”
Inside, police said there was dirt, bugs, and fecal matter “all over,” including the kitchen and bathroom, which appeared as though they had not been cleaned in some time, WXIN reported.
After walking through the house, the officer concluded that the “deplorable” conditions made the house “unlivable,” reportedly saying that the visit left him “appalled.” An employee with the Indiana Department of Child Services who had responded to the address agreed with the officer and concluded that the child could not live in such a home.
When Good arrived at the home with his daughter, authorities said her clothes and shoes did not fit properly and her arm was covered with dirt and bug bites.
Police placed Good under arrest and transported him to the Delaware County Jail for processing. He remained incarcerated on bond of $10,000 as of Monday, records show. It was not immediately clear when he was next scheduled to appear in court.
