A Missouri couple has been arrested after police discovered they were living in a filthy home with their four malnourished foster children.
Stacey Laura-Louise Castleman i Erik Aleister Castleman were arrested on Dec. 27, 2025, and charged with multiple counts of child abuse or neglect and endangering the welfare of a child, according to online records reviewed by Us Weekly.
Warrensburg Police Department officers responded to a Division of Family Services report of possible child neglect at a local residence, according to a probable cause affidavit seen by Law and crime.
When they entered the house, the officers “immediately noticed a strong odor of urine and feces.” Additionally, the officers became aware of the severity of the unsanitary conditions in the home when their “boots stuck to the floor as they began to walk,” according to the affidavit.
“Officers saw feces slathered on the carpet, smeared on the walls and furniture,” the document states. “The feces were different colors, indicating that some had been there for a significant amount of time.”
Officers also found rotting food in the kitchen, as well as dried liquid covering the floor. Also, a trash can without a lid was “overflowing” with dirty diapers.
The first bedroom had an “overwhelming” smell of urine, police said.
“There was a bed frame and mattress uncovered,” the bedroom affidavit said. “The mattress was covered with footprints of mud or dog feces. The stains were crusted on the fabric of the mattress. A blanket was found rolled up at the end of the mattress. More droppings were found on the floor of this room.”
During the police visit, a child was in a playpen in the kitchen and they noticed a “pool of fresh urine” under the playpen. The child was lifted from the bouncer and a “large amount of fluid” allegedly “poured” from the nappy, while the child was also found to be suffering from an “aggressive nappy rash”.
When the officers went up to the second floor of the house, they found the bedrooms of three other children who were between 3 and 8 years old. According to the affidavit, all the children allegedly slept on bare mattresses that were in unsanitary conditions.
“The floors in every room had toys and clothes sitting on feces,” the affidavit said. “Officers looked in the bathroom on that floor and found it dirty. There was human excrement and human urine on the floor, overflowing the toilet, in the bathtub and in a bucket that was lined with a plastic bag.”
Officers noted that the three older children were dirty and infested with lice, while also walking around the dirty house with bare feet.
While speaking with a Division of Family Services worker, Stacey, 34, allegedly said she was “just taking the foster kids.” He reportedly added: “Obviously, it’s too much for me.”
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Stacey also claimed to police that the house was a mess “because it’s the holiday season”, while adding that she wanted to “give up on all the kids”.
Both Stacey and Erik, 26, were arrested and are currently being held in the Johnson County Jail on $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, January 14, while Erik’s first court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21.
It is currently unclear whether they have entered pleas or whether they have retained legal representation.
The Warrensburg Police Department did not immediately respond Us Weeklythe request for comments.