MILWAUKEE — The brother of a woman facing felony charges related to her children said he was blindsided by reports of the criminal charges.
"Those poor babies. We had no idea. Don't think for a second if we had an idea we wouldn't have taken care of that. I don't know what went wrong or where it went wrong," Matt Koch said.
In a complaint, investigators said neighbors found Katie Koch's two children outside, naked, and dirty with cuts after breaking through a window of their home.
Katie, 34, and her boyfriend Joel Manke, 38, were arrested and charged with chronic neglect of a child and false imprisonment.
Matt told TMJ4 News that he has not seen Katie in several years.
Matt, overwhelmed with frustration, said he would not defend his sister and called the situation disgusting. He questioned why Manke did not do more to help the children.
"Why didn't he step in and be like, 'Hey, this isn't right?' Because of an argument? Does he have a spine," Matt said.
His biggest concern is the children. Matt stated his mother is struggling to get answers.
"Where can these kids go to get the help that they so desperately need now," Matt asked. "Those kids need around-the-clock care right now."
The officer who went into the home described it as a "terrible hoarding situation."
Carla Alejo is the director of the hoarding intervention and treatment program at Catholic Charities.
"I could tell this is not a case of hoarding disorder. This is much much more than that," Alejo said.
Alejo was not involved in this case but says it appears this was a situation of people living in squalor.
"Those are completely separate. Unfortunately, situations like this if they're labeled hoarding, it just adds to the stigma for those who actually suffer from the hoarding disorder," Alejo explained.
Manke's mother told TMJ4 news that the two children stayed with her for a few days until she had to bring them back to a social worker earlier this week.
Milwaukee Police said there is no update on the children.
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