Stamford Couple Faces Child Neglect Charges

Photos courtesy of Stamford Police.

After a 14-month-old boy was found inside a garbage-strewn apartment and with dried feces in his hair, a Stamford couple is facing child neglect charges, according to Stamford Police.

Police were sent to the apartment at 117 Myrtle Ave. for a medical emergency on Sept. 28 and patrol officers “found a severely dehydrated and malnourished female caring for a 14-month-old male infant. The apartment was in total disarray, with empty liquor bottles, garbage strewn throughout the apartment, and a foul smell emanating from the apartment.”

According to Lt. Diedrich Hohn, not only was the infant’s crib covered with fecal matter and was infested with insects, the baby “had a soiled diaper and there was dried feces in his hair that had to be cut out.”

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Hohn said Tthe infant was rushed to Stamford Hospital where it was obvious the baby was hungry. “He devoured three bottles of milk right away. He was kept overnight for observation and released the next day to foster care,” Hohn said.

The mother was identified as Marina Vouk, 27, who was taken to Stamford Hospital for treatment as well. She was hospitalized for eight days for several medical conditions and was released Tuesday.

The Stamford Police Special Victims Unit obtained an arrest warrant charging Vouk with Risk of Injury to a Minor. Vouk was arrested as she was released from the hospital. She was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Investigators also determined that the baby’s father also lived in the apartment. Earlier in the evening of Sept. 28, patrol officers were dispatched to 200 Shippan Ave. where police said they found Igor Kotsopey, 41, passed out on the sidewalk from alcohol intoxication. Kotsopey was admitted to Stamford Hospital and spent seven days being treated for his ailments, police said. As he was released on Oct. 5, he was arrested on a warrant for risk of injury to a minor and is being held on a $25,000 bond.

Police said the Stamford Health Department also was notified and inspected the home for habitation.

Hohn said, “This was one of the worst neglect cases this unit has seen and we hope the parents get the proper care and counseling needed to care for a child.”