Two parents are facing charges after police said it was discovered that their two children and multiple animals were living in “deplorable conditions” inside their Northeast Philadelphia home.
According to the Philadelphia Police Department at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, agents with the FBI were conducting court-authorized law enforcement activities at a residence on the 7100 block of Whittaker Avenue.
After talking with the woman inside the home, identified as 44-year-old Megan Bach, agents entered the residence and determined the property was unsafe due to “deplorable living conditions.”
Bach was immediately taken into custody at the scene, according to police.
Her two children, an 8-month-old and a 5-year-old, were removed from the home and transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation, police said.
Shortly afterward, police said 43-year-old Thomas Bach arrived at the home and was also taken into custody.
The Pennsylvania SPCA shared that they also responded to the scene after 38 cats and one dog were found in the home.
Officials described the interior as unsanitary and filled with an “overabundance of items,” waste, and empty food bags and boxes.
Dozens of animals were removed from a home along Whitaker Street in Philly’s Oxford Circle neighborhood where, officials say, children were being kept in deplorable conditions. NBC10’s Neil Fischer has the latest details on the investigation.
Both Megan and Thomas Bach were taken into custody and charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, criminal conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime, and possession of an offensive weapon.
The home was boarded up on Tuesday evening and crews were spotted going inside the property while dressed head to toe in protective gear.
Neighbors told NBC10 they were shocked by the situation.
“My mind immediately goes to: What were the children eating? And what did they put in their mouth; What they were exposed to?” Kim Austin, who works in the neighborhood, said.
“Whatever the parents were going through, they couldn’t maintain and it just got out of control. I mean really out of control,” Austin added.
Court records were available only for Thomas Bach. He made his first court appearance Wednesday morning, and bail was set at 10% of $75,000.
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said they requested $999,999 in bail for both Thomas and Megan with the courts setting their bail at $125,000 each.
A preliminary hearing for each of them is scheduled for July 20.
Police said the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.
NBC10 reached out to federal authorities seeking additional information about the investigation but they declined to comment.