A Boston lawmaker is demanding answers from the city’s public housing authority after a search of an apartment where an adult was found dead reportedly uncovered four children, drug paraphernalia and sex toys.
The discovery was made Saturday around 11 a.m. at the Mary Ellen McCormack complex in South Boston, according to WFXT.
The children are now in the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.
"A lot of drug paraphernalia and sex toys all around, and then one of the firefighters said that they heard a cry for help," Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy told the station. "That there were four children in the back room, and I am hearing that the adults in the apartment were not wanting first responders to go back when they heard kids crying for help, so that is very disturbing to me."
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"Still trying to piece it all together," she added.
Murphy, WFXT reported, wants the Boston Housing Authority to answer questions about how such a situation like this happened.
The station, citing her, said first responders arrived at the apartment in response to a call about a person not breathing.
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They found the remains of an adult, whose cause of death remains under investigation.
Firefighters also found six adults "who appeared to be males" inside the apartment and four kids in a back room of the apartment, ages 5 to 10, the station added, citing a report from the Boston Fire Department.
It was not immediately clear what the relationship is between the adults and children inside the property.
"The Department of Children and Families has taken custody of the children who live in the home," the agency told WFXT.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday that it is "aware of the incident and the investigation, and will appropriately prosecute any arrests that result." The DA's office added that no charges have been filed so far.
In a statement to WFXT, the Boston Housing Authority said it "is working closely with the Boston Police Department as they continue to investigate the circumstances around the recent death at Mary-Ellen McCormack."
"BHA received no complaints about activity in this unit prior to the incident, but we care deeply about the safety of all our residents and are working actively with the agencies involved to take all appropriate follow-up action," it added. "BHA has a strong partnership with BPD and communicates with them often. The only call BHA received this year about this unit was for a routine maintenance issue in May, which was responded to appropriately at that time."
