Milwaukee 'house of horrors': Inside insect-infested hell where hoarder mom kept boys, 7 and 9, in awful state of neglect

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: A Milwaukee home has been described by police as a “house of horrors” after two young boys escaped from a bedroom where they were kept in squalid conditions by their mother and her boyfriend, as per Daily Mail.

Bedroom of Katie Koch's sons had feces smeared on floors and walls

Katie Koch, 34, and Joel Manke, 38, were arrested on July 13 after Koch’s two sons, aged 7 and 9, broke a window and fled from the home completely naked. According to a newly released 72-page police report, officers arrived at the scene to find a house filled with trash, noxious odors, and insects.

“I entered the living room and observed a terrible hoarding situation - it was hard to see the floor. The smell of urine and feces stained the air within the residence,” one officer recounted.

The boys had been confined to a bedroom with boarded up windows and feces smeared on the floors and walls. A latch on the exterior of the door prevented the boys from freely leaving the room.

Neighbors spotted boys walking aimlessly and completely naked

After escaping through the broken window and onto the street, neighbors spotted the boys walking aimlessly and completely naked. With matted hair filled with feces and an awkward gait, the boys appeared to neighbors as if they had been kept confined for a while, without exposure to the outside world.

“They were just walking different. Their hair looked like it had never been brushed, never been cut. They didn't know the outside existed,” said Christine Eder, a neighbor.

Further investigation found that the boys had likely been kept in squalid conditions for years. They were not toilet trained and had not seen a doctor or had a haircut since 2019.

Katie Koch and Joel Manke each face up to 43 years in prison and $120,000 in fines

While being questioned by police, Manke acknowledged he was aware of the unacceptable living conditions for the children but said he had to “pick his battles” with Koch to avoid conflict.

In contrast to the boys’ bedroom, officers noted that a basement area used as Manke’s “man cave” was better maintained and treated with “a higher amount of respect and cleanliness.”

Both Koch and Manke have pleaded not guilty to charges of child neglect, reckless endangerment, and mental harm to a child. If convicted on all counts, they each face up to 43 years in prison and $120,000 in fines.

Koch also faces additional potential penalties of 18 months in prison and $20,000 in fines for two misdemeanor charges. The couple is scheduled to appear in court again later this month, with Koch currently unable to pay the $30,000 cash bail set by the court.