Two parents from Dubuque, Iowa, are facing felony charges after their 1-year-old child fell into a bucket of bleach water inside their home, resulting in acute respiratory failure and a loss of consciousness.
Scott A. Marcov, 30, and Madelyn A. Marcov, 28, were arrested and charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person after the harrowing incident.
The accident occurred when Scott was in the bathtub and Madelyn was in another room.
According to a criminal complaint, the young child’s head became submerged in the bleach bucket for an unknown period of time.
Fortunately, another child witnessed the incident and quickly carried the unconscious baby to the parents while calling for help.
Madelyn immediately dialed 911, and emergency responders rushed the child to UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital.
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The child was intubated before being transferred to the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center for further treatment.
Authorities who responded to the scene on October 1 found the home in deplorable conditions. Police described the house as “completely filthy,” with both dead and living mice scattered throughout.
They also found food and garbage littering the floors, and even a used diaper in a cooking pot in the kitchen. Three children were inside the home at the time.
The couple now faces serious charges, and while police did not respond to requests for comment, the community is left shaken by the tragic accident.
