2 charged after children, animals found living in squalor in Philadelphia home
PHILADELPHIA - A man and woman are facing criminal charges after two children and over three dozen cats were rescued from deplorable living conditions at a home in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
What we know:
Megan Bach, 44, and Thomas Bach, 43, were taken into custody Wednesday during an FBI investigation at a house on the 7100 block of Whitaker Avenue.
They have been charged with the following crimes: Endangering the Welfare of a Child (F2) (2 counts), Criminal Conspiracy (F2), Possession of an Instrument of Crime (PIC) (M1) (2 Counts), Prohibited Offensive Weapons (POW) (M1) and Reckless Endangerment of Another Person (REAP) (M2) (2 counts).
Philadelphia District Attorney's Office requested $999,999 in bail for both defendants.
The Philadelphia Courts set bail at $125,000 each. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 20, 2026.
This is an active and ongoing investigation.
The backstory:
The Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI were conducting a court-authorized law enforcement operation at the property on Wednesday morning when they discovered squalid living conditions.
An 8-month-old and a 5-year-old were removed from the property and taken to a local hospital for medical evaluations. The SPCA says it removed 38 cats and one dog, and set humane traps to round up leftover felines.
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2 kids removed from "unsafe and uninhabitable" home in Northeast Philly: FBI, PPD
The FBI and Philadelphia Police conducted a law enforcement operation on Whitaker Avenue, removing two children from an unsafe home and initiating an investigation into their welfare.
Conditions inside the house were described by investigators as "unhealthy and uninhabitable," including signs of hoarding, urine, feces, and empty food containers strewn about the property.
The Department of Licensing and Inspection's Quality of Life division boarded up the house during the investigation.