Prosecutor: Dead Animals, Lack of Heat, Hot Water Leads to Child Endangerment Charges for North Jersey Pair

A Hackettstown duo has been charged with endangering the welfare of two children after authorities found decomposing animals on their property, authorities said.

The home’s occupants were also not using heat or hot water, Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke announced Tuesday.

On Wednesday, April 1, the Independence Township Police Department responded to a report of five pigs running loose in a neighborhood, Burke said. Police and animal control officers confirmed the pigs’ owners lived at a Russling Road home, and when authorities returned the animals to the residence, they found numerous animals in “various states of decomposition” on the property, Burke said.

An investigation revealed Chad Lloyd, 36, and Kimberly Brown, 22, lived at the residence with two children in their care, ages 10 and three, Burke said.

Both were charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child because the kids had access to various deceased animals, some of which were “located as close as three to six feet from the residence,” Burke said.

The charges also allege Lloyd and Brown failed to provide the children with enough heat and hot water at the home since February, Burke said.

Lloyd and Brown were both released on their own recognizance and were scheduled to be in court Tuesday. As part of their bail, they must comply with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Burke did not describe what kind of animals were on the property. Each child endangerment charge comes with a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

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