3 Small Children Found Alone in Home Amid Squalid Conditions

Three young children left home alone in the Hyde Park area--all of them drenched in urine, infested with head lice and stained with feces--were taken into protective custody this weekend after a neighbor, alarmed by their cries, called police.

Authorities said the children, a 15-month-old boy and 2- and 3-year-old girls, were believed to have been home alone for three to four hours Saturday night before police arrived, authorities said.

Police said the apartment in the 8100 block of South Western Avenue had no food, milk, diapers or toys. There were some mattresses on the floor and a bed in the bedroom, but none had sheets or blankets, police said.