Child abuse, neglect, and mistreatment are wrong no matter the circumstances. It will never make sense how a grown adult can intentionally hurt a defenseless child. Sometimes, the circumstances are so vile that no punishment feels fitting for the crime. On January 10, 2026, police in Missouri reportedly uncovered one of those situations. Inside a Troy home, they found three adults living with eight children in conditions so deplorable that police noted they became “overwhelmed” by the smell of rotting food and feces. Police arrested Jordon Hoffman, Victoria Trabue, and Terry Wheat on multiple felony charges and took the children to safety.
According to court documents, police responded to a home at 421 Cap au Gris Street after receiving a call about a child screaming inside. When they arrived, police noted seeing three children standing by the front door “attempting to get through the window screen.” They could hear screaming before they entered the residence.
“Upon entry, I was overwhelmed by the smell of rotting food and feces. I observed piles of trash, old food, and various bugs on the floor of the living room,” Officer Greg Turner wrote in the police report. “I walked into the hallway to the children’s bedrooms. The hallway was littered with trash and again various bugs were crawling on the floor, walls, and ceiling. I looked into the children’s bedrooms. The bedrooms were in complete disarray and littered with trash, dirty clothes and toys.”
Police reported seeing trash throughout the home and bugs crawling on the walls, counters, and floors. When they found the children, several were reportedly naked.
“The one-year-old boy, was wearing underwear soiled by urine and feces also had a severe rash on his buttocks,” Turner wrote in the report. “Many of the children had what appeared to be feces on their feet. All children were also severely dirty.”
Officers contacted the Department of Social Services, which helped get the children to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. And things only got worse from there.
“It was determined that multiple of the children had pin worms. One of the children had a viral infection and possibly scabies,” Turner noted. “As of now, two of the children were admitted for psychological evaluations.”
Sadly, this wasn’t the first time police were called to the home. According to the Lincoln County Journal, police arrested Warron Trabue and Victoria Trabue on child abuse and neglect charges in January 2025. A judge agreed to a plea deal for Warron Trabue that included taking a parenting class, keeping his children enrolled in school, following recommendations from the children’s division, completing a mental health evaluation, and paying court costs. Victoria Trabue was due in court later this month for last year’s case.
The adults in this year’s case all face eight counts of felony child abuse, the Journal reported. A judge ordered Hoffman, Trabue, and Wheat each be held on a $30,000 cash-only bond.
These aren’t parents; they’re animals who chose to live in filth. Those innocent children had no choice. Hopefully, they’ll get the love and help they deserve.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
