An Augusta, Georgia mother, 39‑year‑old Suzanne Shelton, was arrested this week after a Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFACS) worker reported alarming conditions in the motel room where she was staying with her five children. The incident unfolded after the DFACS worker tried to conduct a visit at a local motel and Shelton refused to open the door or let the worker see the children, who are ages 12, 9, 7, 5, and 3.
What deputies found
When Richmond County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived and got one of the children to open the door, they reportedly found the room overrun with flies, filled with trash, and nearly impossible to walk through, with beds stripped bare and a strong foul odor. Two of the children were found naked, and deputies said the kids’ skin was covered in dirt, their clothes were filthy and stained, and it was unclear when they had last bathed.
Charges and outcome
Shelton told deputies she planned to leave the state in three days and that one of the children had been sick overnight; the DFACS worker also told officers she had been involved in a similar case in Thomson, Georgia. EMS transported all five children to MCG (Medical College of Georgia) for medical evaluation, and Shelton was charged with five counts of Deprivation of a Minor. As of the latest reports, she is no longer in the Richmond County Jail, though the case remains active and the children’s custody and welfare are being handled through child‑welfare authorities.
