Advertisement Family found on decrepit boat with no heat, little food Parents face charges after teens found malnourished, without schooling Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Two parents are facing child neglect charges after police said they allowed their children to live on a boat in Anne Arundel County's Magothy River without any heat and in deplorable conditions.The Maryland Natural Resources Police were initially called to the boat on Feb. 9 to check on the welfare of the family.Officers found the 28-foot boat called the Suki Too stranded in thick ice with no heat on board. Officials said John and Sherri Kelly; their sons, ages 14 and 15; and 22-year-old Adrian Stead were wearing several layers to stay warm in a small cabin that had fecal matter in it.Investigators said two small dogs were also found. The boat didn't have a shower or any running water, and the five occupants slept on two makeshift mattresses.Officials said an inflatable raft that was the only means to get to shore was not suitable for the ice, and someone had tried to repair it with duct tape. The family also had one cellphone, but it wasn't charged.The children did not attend school, police said, and the family declined an offer to be taken to shore.Officers returned to the boat on Feb. 12 to again check on the family before last week's big snowstorm. Investigators learned that the family had been rescued elsewhere by the Coast Guard about a month before and that investigators determined children shouldn't be living on the boat.Police said they interviewed a previous roommate of the Kelly family, who said the parents expressed a strong hatred for the U.S. government and that they acted as if they were hiding from government officials. The man said both parents are mentally unstable and that he was concerned for the children.Coast Guard and Anne Arundel County Child Protective Services boarded the boat again on Friday, where officials said the boys ate everything they were offered and looked malnourished. Officials said there was very little food on the boat, and no way to heat it up.Investigators determined that the boys' parents had multiple aliases and dates of birth with no fixed address.John Kelly was charged with neglect of a minor, second-degree child abuse and failure to send a child to school. It's unclear so far if Sherri Kelly was also charged.There's no word yet if Stead is related to the Kellys or if he will face any charges.