According to a news update, the skeletal remains of a child along with three abandoned children who were surviving in an apartment were found in the Houston area, a sheriff said.

A 15-year-old child who was one of the three abandoned children called the County Sheriff’s office on Sunday afternoon and informed him that his 9-year-old brother had been dead for more than a year and his body is also inside the apartment, the sheriff said in a statement.

The deputies nearby responded immediately and found the teen along with two other siblings ages 10 and 7, who were living alone in the apartment, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told reporters. The remains of another child were also discovered from the location.

“It appears that the remains had been there for an extended period of time. And I emphasize extended,” Gonzalez said.

The sheriff also stated that it seems that the children were fighting for each other’s survival and the oldest brother was taking care of the younger siblings. However, the complete incident’s whereabouts are pretty much unclear whether any of the children were attending the school.

One of the younger children seems to be lacking in nutrition and he also had physical injuries, as per Texas authorities. Moreover, the three siblings were also taken to the hospital immediately so they can be assessed and treated.

The mother of the children along with her boyfriend was later found and traced as per the authorities and was being questioned.

In addition, the neighbors expressed sorrow and disbelief when they got to know about the children. Kayla Williams said that she has two children but she is not planning to tell them what happened.

“I don’t need to put this in their heads,” she said. “This is crazy.”