Parents charged after FBI, police find 2 children, dozens of animals in ‘uninhabitable’ Northeast Philly home

Published on July 7 | Updated on July 8

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A couple faces child endangerment charges after their two children were found in what police have called “uninhabitable” conditions in a Northeast Philadelphia home.

According to authorities, the FBI on Tuesday went to raid a home on Whittaker Avenue near Jardel Playground in the Oxford Circle neighborhood, as part of a federal investigation. Inside, they discovered a 5-year-old girl and an 8-month-old girl living in deplorable conditions. At least four dozen cats and a dog were also found inside, according to the Pennsylvania SPCA.

According to sources, the house was overrun with bugs, animal feces and urine, and had no running water.

The children were taken to a nearby hospital to be evaluated and placed into Department of Human Services custody. Their parents, Megan Bach, 44, and Thomas Bach, 43, have been charged with endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime and possession of an offensive weapon.

The home was part of a duplex amid an otherwise quiet residential street in Northeast Philly.

“It's a shame something like that happened anywhere. That’s pretty sad. I hate when people are vicious to animals,” neighbor Herb Mithi told our partners at NBC10 Tuesday.

PSPCA officers went into the house with multiple pet crates at a time, even hours into the recovery process. There was a noticeable bad odor coming from the home that could be smelled about 30 feet away on the sidewalk.

The FBI, along with police, animal control and the PSPCA’s animal law enforcement unit, have been back to the house a few times since the initial discovery. The investigation into the Bachs is ongoing.

According to the city’s website, there are no open Licenses and Inspection violations and it’s unclear whether DHS ever visited the home.