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For years, a Miami couple and their daughter have been sleeping, crammed together, in a small car parked in the front yard of their home, police say, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
They used a hose to bathe outside and plastic containers for waste.
On Friday, Miami police charged Philipe Mathieu, 62, and Sherrine Mathieu, 42, with 863 counts of child neglect, and their 16-year-old daughter is in protective custody.
His wife, Philipe Mathieu told police, cleaned compulsively and wouldn't let her husband or family inside their home on the 6300 block of Northwest First Court. But police say the south unit of the duplex was nearly empty and very dirty.
"There are jugs with dark water, plastic bags, garbage and mildew," said Miami Police spokesman Delrish Moss. "The smell was horrible."
The north unit was much cleaner, with nice furniture, electricity and running hot water, Moss added. Through the open door, a large TV set, wall unit and flower arrangement could be seen.
Moss told reporters that investigators from the department's Special Victims Unit found a single twin bed there. "The girl said that's the part of the duplex they use in case [the Department of Children and Families] comes looking," Moss said.
But the family's actual "bedroom'' he said, is a red Pontiac Grand Am, shielded from view by a tarp covering the chain-link fence on the property's north side and a strategically parked Ford Windstar van in front. Several other cars and a red motorcycle bunched tightly together on the property also obscured the Grand Am.
Moss said Philipe Mathieu told investigators he allowed the situation because "he didn't want to have problems with his wife."
The daughter, whom police would not name, said they've lived in these conditions since she was 8.
Moss said investigators found out about the Mathieus through DCF.
so - are you as nearly a clean freak as this woman? I know it is a sad situation for the child, but kind of funny that the husband went along with it. would you/your husband put up with this? Mine would pee his pants laughing at me. All kidding aside, I hope the woman gets help.
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