Salt Lake couple charged with 3 counts of child abuse

A couple was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court after a welfare check of their home revealed unsanitary conditions.

Upon arriving at the Salt Lake City apartment being rented by Jessica Dawn Allen and Dominick Cotta Gomes, police found the couple's three children, ages 9, 6 and 2, living among a "floor covered in garbage, clothing, used diapers and food," according to court documents.

No edible food, except a box of Hamburger Helper, was found in the home, and the two available toilets were not functional. According to police, animal feces was also scattered throughout the apartment.

The children were removed from the home and remain in custody of the state's Division of Child and Family Services. The oldest is disabled and should have been receiving medication, according to a DCFS spokeswoman.

Allen, 24, and Gomes, 27, were each charged with three counts of child abuse, all class A misdemeanors, and are ordered to appear in court. The two are unmarried. Gomes is the father of two of the children; Allen is mother of all three.