Docs: Infants found walking alone in the street, living in feces-covered Muncie home

MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie father has been charged with felony neglect after his infant children were reportedly seen walking alone in the roadway. Police later found the man sleeping in a feces-covered home before arresting him and the children’s mother.

Rodney K. Love III, 24, was arrested last week and charged with neglect of a dependent and false reporting, as well as several out-of-county warrants. The children’s mother, 28-year-old Jessica N. Gould, was also arrested.

The arrests came after police received reports that two infant children were walking in the roadway wearing only diapers.

Officers were dispatched around 12:40 p.m. Friday to the 1800 block of W. Royale Drive for a child welfare check. A caller told 911 dispatch that two young children wearing sagging diapers had been left unattended near moving cars.

One witness told responding officers that the children lived in a nearby apartment building. Crews later found that one of the apartment units had an open back door and children’s toys on the back porch.

Officers went into the apartment and reportedly found Love sleeping inside. After police verified that the two children playing in the roadway were Love’s kids, they began investigating.

Police reportedly found a third young child inside the apartment who was crying in a crib. Documents state that the crib, walls and floor were all “covered in feces.”

Love reportedly tried to tell police that his name was “Rodrick,” but it was later found out that “Rodney had lied about his name.” A search of criminal records showed Love had six out-of-county warrants for home invasion, battery, theft, marijuana possession, drunk driving and more.

The father was then taken into custody and later booked into the Delaware County Jail on the following charges:

• Neglect of a Dependent – Level 6 Felony
  • Three counts
• False Reporting – Class A Misdemeanor
• Two felony arrest warrants out of Tippecanoe and Warren counties

Online criminal records show Love has an extensive criminal history throughout Indiana. Online court records have not yet been updated to reflect an initial hearing in his latest case.

Police said that shortly after Love was arrested, the children’s mother, Jessica Gould, also arrived on scene. She was then arrested and also charged with three counts of neglect of a dependent.