Pasco couple and four children lived in feces-strewn home
Times staff In Print: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Story Tools
Email Article
Contact the editor
Print this story
Comment on this story
Email Newsletters
DADE CITY — Deputies visited the home of Justin and Tanya Dykas on Saturday and found four children living in "deplorable and unsafe living conditions," according to a Pasco County Sheriff's Office report.
The children, ages 2, 5, 7 and 10, had no clean clothes, the report said. The children's beds were covered in feces, deputies said, and the floor of the home at 41305 Dykas Lane was damp from urine, feces and leaking pipes. The toilet didn't work.
Tanya Dykas told deputies the children defecated on the floor, and she used to clean it up but got tired of doing so, the report said.
Chickens lived in the home, and an electrical short caused the stove to jolt anyone who tried to turn it on, the report said. The family's food was kept in an algae–covered fridge in the yard, the report said. Inside, deputies said, they found ketchup, orange juice, mold, rotting beans and what appeared to be chicken feces.
One of the children told deputies the adults do not buy groceries because the rats get into them.
Justin and Tanya Dykas, both 29, were charged with four counts of child neglect. Both were released Sunday from the Land O'Lakes jail on $40,000 bail.
Tanya Dykas was arrested four years ago on a child neglect charge after deputies found a 3-year-old child wandering a mile from home with no shirt and no shoes. Court records show the charge was dropped several weeks later.[Last modified: Feb 01, 2010 10:25 PM]
1069830
article
e188fc8c-2275-47d9-8995-f8e89a88cda0
Have your say...
View our commenting guidelines. Read our report abuse policy.
You have 1000 characters remaining.
Your comment has been posted.
There are 42 commentsNewest FirstOldest FirstTop Rated
windowsugar wrote:
Incidentally, What zanne said is WHY the sheriff took over DCFS. So it could be SELECTIVE. We've got Bob O'Neill's partner's wife carting CHILDREN over county lines against their parents' wishes to have sex and other interesting things. A call to the sheriff brought this: See what DCFS has to say. To an OBVIOUS CRIME. If we don't get these criminals out of positions of power soon we'll all be in prison for murders THEY commit as they have their family members (all intermarried you can look it up just like I did) plant and fudge DNA results. How much do you think THAT would take when they're ALREADY getting away with murder???
Feb 2nd, 2010 10:24 AM
00
windowsugar wrote:
Thanks, zanne. I appreciate your comment. My family lived next door to a fireman's sister (since upgraded to TWO HOUSES on a city employee's salary) who lived like a PIG'S PIG. 27 cats, holes in the floor, stymed electricity... I have video of the inside of that dump. They ARE PIGS for the most part. Pointing fingers because we're letting them get away with it.
Feb 2nd, 2010 10:21 AM
10
fayejay wrote:
The part about chickens living in the home,and the fridge being on the lawn....is straight up hilarious!!!! only in Florida...Only in Florida!!
Feb 2nd, 2010 10:18 AM
00
windowsugar wrote:
digger4, haven't laughed this hard in ... like ... days...... OMG thank you. It's sad though. And, just for the record the deputies can blow this stuff WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY out of proportion when they want to. Not saying that's what happened here so just save your hate, popo loyalists to the bone.
Feb 2nd, 2010 9:58 AM
10
TheeBigSmooth wrote:
Hopefully for the sake of the children they are not placed back with the adults. They can not be called parents because they are not even close to being suitable for anytype of parenting. Hopefully if these kids are placed in loving homes that might have a chance of growing up with sometype of normalcy. If they continue to live with these people they will think nothing of doing the same thing when they are older. But knowing the way the system works they will be together soon enough. Very sad.
Feb 2nd, 2010 9:46 AM
00
ctb wrote:
Horrifying story!The damage to these poor kids will last a lifetime - & who's to say that these so-called "POS" parents didn't have a similar upbringing?(& that's using the term loosely indeed)& all the comments calling for more vigilance from DCF highlights a cultural/cognitive disconnect: namely DCF = BIG GOVERNMENT!!! Can't eat your cake & have it too, y'know...
Feb 2nd, 2010 9:43 AM
00
Lollyb33 wrote:
they could post $40,000 bail but could not hire a plumber?
Feb 2nd, 2010 9:10 AM
00
digger4 wrote:
While most people had dismissed it as a fad in the past, home decorating with feces seems to be catching on in Pasco county.
Feb 2nd, 2010 8:14 AM
20
Zanne wrote:
I once did a home visit with a paramedic and his wife. They let their kids walk around filthy and barefooted, with ferrets crawling all over dropping feces everywhere indoors. And the toddler (one of three kids) had open sores on his feet! I called DCFS and never heard a word out of them. I also had a talk with the parents who blew off my concerns. There is some legitimacy to the view that only stupid people are breeding!
Feb 2nd, 2010 7:41 AM
30
Floridave wrote:
I saw this movie. I think it was called "Wrong Turn."
Feb 2nd, 2010 7:14 AM
00
Chubby Davis wrote:
I smell movie of the week here! Working title: Dade City Dykas!Dykas's must of had some coin ..there street is name after them!
Feb 2nd, 2010 7:04 AM
00
PrincessHaven wrote:
For once I agree with Milf-Hunter. That this could even happen in America is sad enough, but it is deplorable that these kids were not being constantly monitored by DCF. Take these kids away & put them in foster care then terminate the parental rights of the "parents." God help these 4 children.
Feb 2nd, 2010 6:45 AM
20
mark57 wrote:
oh and love the between the eyes soul patch!
Feb 2nd, 2010 6:21 AM
10
mark57 wrote:
just when you think you have heard it all.
Feb 2nd, 2010 6:01 AM
10
hjodi2 wrote:
They were relesed on $40,000 dollar bail?????????Where did they get that kind of money?? Why are all these missionaries and churches helping all these people in other countries when they could be right here in this country helping people like these. Soething stinks here.
Feb 2nd, 2010 4:55 AM
30
Astutefl wrote:
I doubt these were their kids which means taxpayer money was going to these folks. Obviously, the money wasn't being spent ont he kids. Both adults need to go to jail and they should pay back ALL of the money the state paid to them. Crooks!!!
Feb 2nd, 2010 4:40 AM
21
clueless wrote:
It's a crying shame.. The kids are better off having a chance with the foster care system.The 7 and 10 yr olds will take longer to repress the memories.
Feb 2nd, 2010 4:33 AM
11
CHOKEONTHIS wrote:
"Judge Chokeonthis are you ready to pass sentence?" "yes I am", 10 years in a maximum security septic outside Ray J stadium. Only to be fed what they find floating around, no time off for good behavior.
Feb 2nd, 2010 3:55 AM
41
MentosMan727 wrote:
qotfw - The christians have nothing to do with this. Whether or not they are against abortion, it is still legal and this woman chose not to have one. Or three.
Feb 2nd, 2010 12:06 AM
22
qotfw wrote:
Maybe the christians( who didn't want this woman to have abortions) will take care of her neglected children? Doubtful.
Feb 1st, 2010 9:26 PM
41
JAllyn wrote:
Can you say methamphetamine?
Feb 1st, 2010 8:42 PM
20
redfrog30 wrote:
Sad....but also sad...the misspelled words in all these comments.
Feb 1st, 2010 8:03 PM
02
A thinking person wrote:
Another DCF blunder batman..
Feb 1st, 2010 6:53 PM
21
MatronMalice wrote:
We had a kid enter our school not too long ago who had never been to school. Had to be shown how to use scissors... The kid was old enough to be in 7th grade
Feb 1st, 2010 6:36 PM
12
Milf-Hunter wrote:
Castrate the pig that help make these children and sterilize the egg donor. The children should never be allowed to be near these two POS. The teachers did not notice because from the information I have gathered, the children were "home schooled". Just another reason why home schools should be outlawed.
Feb 1st, 2010 5:02 PM
41
MentosMan727 wrote:
There are obviously some mental health issues here that need to be addressed. Also, the kids should never, ever be put back into their care. But I don't think it calls for prison. Just involuntary commitment.
Feb 1st, 2010 4:00 PM
21
Kennybear wrote:
Ya have to have real pride in the East Pasco White Trash!!!
Feb 1st, 2010 3:46 PM
22
lanienus wrote:
Sounds like some real winners here-the terms rednecks,white trash, and scumbags come to mind.
Feb 1st, 2010 3:25 PM
11
nocheapshots wrote:
ABC's Wife Swap will be all over this family.
Feb 1st, 2010 3:14 PM
40
Karen2104 wrote:
How do people live like this in the 21st century, and in an industrialized nation? Makes me wonder how the parents were raised? In a barn? I'm usually not DCF's biggest cheerleader, but: Get those kids out of there pronto!!
Feb 1st, 2010 2:28 PM
31
kathij wrote:
Lillapoyka, well said!
Feb 1st, 2010 2:24 PM
22
ceecee1 wrote:
This is the same couple who had been arrested back in 2004, when her 3 year old was home alone and found wondering in the street with no clothing. Google her name at the top.... This is a shame and a disgrace to DCF that no one bothered to check their house back then, or has checked up on the kids. Why do they even have them?
Feb 1st, 2010 1:53 PM
50
angellover8 wrote:
These children should be taken from their parent and to never be returned. The parents( I use the term very loosly) should have to be fixed. Obviously they are incapable of being fit parents.
Feb 1st, 2010 1:42 PM
21
THEMOTOM wrote:
How do you live like that, let alone with children! It doesnt take money to be clean.
Feb 1st, 2010 1:34 PM
90
kimmy wrote:
The mom and dad are certainly not doing without any meals from the looks of their mug shots and they have nice clean clothes on. Hard to visualize the filth discribed in this story and to see what these kids look like. They should be removed from thier custody. They obviously have other priorities than raising kids. They should both be fixed also!
Feb 1st, 2010 1:04 PM
31
jpruli wrote:
Well said lillapoyka. We are supposed to work miracles, aren't we?
Feb 1st, 2010 12:46 PM
21
Rat wrote:
I can not comprehend this...it is truly amazing how primitive some people really must be. Even dogs do not defecate in the space in which they sleep. Are we really talking about humans being less civilized than dogs?
Feb 1st, 2010 12:43 PM
50
boredashell4now wrote:
They can't afford to provide their children with better living conditions, but they can afford to make bail?! The mother said she 'got tired of cleaning up feces'... please tell me these parents won't get their kids back!
Feb 1st, 2010 12:30 PM
70
jessica1y wrote:
Okay, this is totally unexceptable. Why didn't these parents request some type of assistance? In cases like this it's apparent that these people don't need to have kids. How disgusting, someone needs to make them lay in feces and urine for double the amount of time they allowed their own children to endure such nasty torture. I'm not a big fan of DCF, but in this case there has to be another family that would supply the care these children are required by law to receive. The law says you have to provided a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their mouth. Obvisiouly, these two people made sure they could get by with the little or notheing that they did for these kids. All kind of illnesses, even death could have changed these kids life.
Feb 1st, 2010 12:28 PM
20
Flight42 wrote:
where were you on this one DFS. Living conditions and nobody suspected anything. 7 year old had to go to school. Didn't teachers notice filth. And no report that children were taken into foster care so i assume were taken right back into these conditions. Why was home not condemned as unfit for living pasco housing ? Would love to see followup and some answers to these questions if news does anything but report the news. Any investigative reporters there to find out or to much work involved. Tanya got tired of cleaning up kids going on the floor...awwww poor woman. Where the welfare money they are getting going and there isn't a doubt they are receiving it in my mind. Booze and drugs ? Sure isn't going into the house. Best meal they ever had was more the likely the time they spend in jail. Give them their kids back and i am sure will hear more on this family in the future. Trash breeds trash...........
Feb 1st, 2010 12:24 PM
20
beeper555 wrote:
Both made $40,000 bail and they can't buy food or take care of their kids?? What??!! That's at least $4,000 each to a bail bondsman. Where did they get that kind of dough? Who paid it? Why did they pay it? I would have left the idiots in jail!
Feb 1st, 2010 12:23 PM
100
lillapoyka wrote:
And yet, people still want to base my pay on how well these kids (from loser parents) do in school.
Feb 1st, 2010 12:09 PM
101
![[PDA - Progressive Democrats of America - Stand Up. Take Action. Vote.]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tTR9VRS_GLOyxU1FCySB6YEuK5qSnEB5wKcHMTDAlkCKmJTUihVf6mlebZlwnecrI_Z3VJpMJ2kUSHxrRg_qsaSRJuo_9fe7ul-F4DKCAIgtwCWJgrFQ=s0-d)
