MANCHESTER — Officers from the Manchester Police Department responded to a call on May 29 at about 10:45 a.m. at an apartment on 345 Lake Avenue, where they found two children under the age of 2 left unattended.
The reporting individuals, employees from the Manchester Planning and Community Development department, were conducting a walkthrough of the property when they discovered the children—a 5-month-old baby in an infant swing and a 1-year-old on the kitchen floor, both unclothed with visible bruises and marks on their bodies.
Authorities transported the children to a local hospital for observation.
The apartment was reportedly in disarray, with clothes piled up and various household items, tools, and potentially harmful substances such as cooking oils and cleaning agents scattered on the floor.
A heat lamp was also left on, creating a hazardous situation.
The tenants, identified as Megan Bancroft, 18, and Justice Forsythe, 21, returned to the apartment shortly after the police arrived.
Bancroft is the mother of both children, while Forsythe is the father of the youngest child.
Police estimated that the children had been alone for over an hour.
Due to the severity of the injuries sustained by the infant, the child was later transferred to a hospital in Boston for further treatment.
Following the scene investigation and initial questioning, Bancroft and Forsythe were arrested and charged with second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
Bancroft received an additional charge for possession of a prescription drug.
