Two arrested in Harris County child endangerment, animal cruelty case
A child was found in a Harris County apartment with feces, urine, gasoline and insects, prompting decontamination and felony charges for two caretakers.
A Harris County child was pulled from shocking conditions inside an apartment complex after court records say the child was exposed to feces, urine, rotten food, insects and gasoline, then needed two decontamination baths before hospital staff could treat the child. The case has put a harsh spotlight on how severe neglect can continue until it reaches a medical emergency.
Tannis Harrington, 20, and Drake Fernandez, 17, were arrested Saturday night, June 21, 2026, and each faces felony child endangerment and misdemeanor cruelty to non-livestock animals. Prosecutors allege the child could have inhaled the substances inside the home and was also exposed to insects described in court records as potentially disease-carrying.
Court records also allege Harrington and Fernandez used marijuana and alcohol while caring for the child and failed to provide adequate hygiene. The severity of the living conditions was so extreme that hospital staff required two decontamination baths before treatment could begin, a detail that underscores the level of danger the child faced inside the home.
The animal cruelty allegations add another layer to the case. Prosecutors say a dog in the pair’s custody was not given clean water, food or adequate hygiene and was kept in a cruel manner. Under Harris County District Attorney’s Office practice, animal cruelty cases can involve failure to provide necessary food, water, care or shelter.
A neighbor told ABC13 Houston she saw several patrol cars and an ambulance at the apartment complex Saturday, briefly alarming residents nearby. For Harris County families, the case raises an uncomfortable question: how did a home allegedly filled with filth, unsafe substances and neglect go unnoticed until a child needed emergency decontamination?
Texas Penal Code Section 22.041 governs abandoning or endangering a child, and Texas law requires anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect to report it immediately to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or the Texas Abuse Hotline. In a county where child welfare and animal cruelty cases often depend on someone speaking up early, this arrest serves as a reminder that intervention gaps can have devastating consequences.
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