Kingsport, TN — Four children were found alone inside an “unsanitary and unsafe” home Sunday morning after their mother allegedly left them there for the entire weekend without checking on them, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.
The children included three younger than 8, authorities said. Deputies responded around 9 a.m. to a home in the 500 block of Bancroft Chapel Road after receiving a report concerning the children.
When deputies arrived, they discovered all four children by themselves.
According to the sheriff’s office, the children told investigators they had been alone since Friday and had not heard from their mother during that time. The situation inside the home also raised concerns for responding deputies.
“Deputies also observed unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside the home,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.
A dog was also found at the property without adequate access to food or water, according to authorities.
Officials from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services and Sullivan County Animal Control responded to assist with the investigation and the children’s welfare.
Mother allegedly returns as police investigate
Later that same day, a pickup truck arrived at the residence with the children’s mother, identified by authorities as Thea Chyanne Sorrell, 33, as a passenger.
Deputies arrested Sorrell after she returned to the home, according to the sheriff’s office.
She faces three counts of child abuse or neglect of a child under 8, along with misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and child endangerment, authorities said.
The allegations stem from the circumstances in which the children were found and Sorrell’s alleged absence over the weekend.
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Driver allegedly had meth in his pocket
The investigation took another turn when deputies identified the pickup truck’s driver as Matthew Brown, 37, of Elizabethton, a community roughly 30 miles from the Kingsport home.
According to police, Brown allegedly had what deputies believed was methamphetamine in his pocket. Officers then searched the vehicle and reported finding a large collection of suspected drugs and weapons.
Police said they recovered heroin, several baggies of methamphetamine and four loaded handguns, including one firearm that authorities said had been reported stolen.
Investigators also allegedly found a bag containing nearly 20 prescription pills, 18.5 grams of marijuana, mushrooms and $5,000 in cash, according to the sheriff’s office.
Brown faces drug and weapons charges
The vehicle search also allegedly turned up brass knuckles and an ax, adding to the list of items cited by investigators. Brown now faces multiple drug- and weapons-related charges, according to authorities.
The case involving Brown is separate from the child-neglect allegations against Sorrell, although both arrests occurred after deputies responded to the same Kingsport residence.
Authorities did not indicate that the children were involved in the alleged drug or weapons offenses.
Both suspects remain jailed
Sorrell and Brown remained in the Sullivan County Jail as of Tuesday, according to authorities. Sorrell’s bond was set at $50,000, while Brown’s bond was set at $100,000.
Both were scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against both defendants are accusations at this stage. Court proceedings will determine how the cases develop and whether additional charges are filed.
The children’s situation also brought together law enforcement, child-protection officials and animal-control personnel as authorities addressed the conditions reported inside the home.
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