3 Malnourished Children Found in Trash-Filled Home

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Three young sisters were in foster homes Friday and their mother was in custody after the girls were found malnourished in a squalid apartment and able only to grunt, authorities said.

Neighbors said authorities had ignored repeated pleas to end the girls’ “nightmare.”

Ruby Pointer, 40, pleaded not guilty Friday to child endangerment and marijuana cultivation charges. Police said that Pointer is not cooperating with them and that she breaks into incoherent speech when questioned.

“All she’ll tell us is that the father of her children is either Tom Selleck or Rod Stewart,” said Sgt. Joe Haebe.

Police said Pointer’s daughters, ages 2, 4 and 6, were removed from their trash-strewn apartment by county Child Protective Services workers. The children grunted, screamed and tried to hide from officers, authorities said.

Police said the oldest girl may be autistic and the younger ones apparently never learned to speak.

Pointer was arrested Wednesday night after neighbor Steven Nicholls called authorities to complain about hearing beatings from the apartment. Police arrived, got no answer and began to leave when Nicholls urged them to approach the apartment from the back, his roommate said.

Police said they then spotted 33 marijuana plants growing in foam cups in the house.

Inside, authorities found piles of garbage, rotten food, mold and stacks of unwashed dishes, police said. They said the children were malnourished, with matted hair and dirty clothes.

“Pointer was extremely agitated and nervous,” said Patrolman Randy Harris. “She kept asking me if I was going to take the children away from her and begged me not to.”

Pointer was being held in lieu of $25,000 bail. Police were seeking her companion, Patrick Eggleston, 36, for questioning.

Pointer has a history of child endangerment, according to police records and neighbors. She was investigated about six years ago for alleged child neglect involving an infant. Details were not available on the outcome of that case.

Neighbors said they complained without success to police, Housing Authority and Child Protective Services representatives as problems allegedly continued.

“I was going to call the police (after one incident), but they never did anything before to end this nightmare for the children,” said Liz Vincent.

Officials from the Housing Authority and Child Protective Services declined to comment.

Haebe confirmed that officers were called to the apartment several times “to check out noise complaints.” He said, “By the time the police arrived, nothing would be going on.”