A Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy investigating a suburban Wellington, Florida, couple for alleged child neglect found the home infested with thousands of cockroaches, human feces, floors soaked with urine, a huge hole in the roof and piles of trash that appeared not to have been moved in years, according to an arrest report.
When the deputy asked Robin Earlynn Royall how many roaches were in the house, she responded: “Probably a few million.”
Royall and her husband, Travis John Royall, are facing a charge of child neglect and are both being held at the Palm Beach County Jail in lieu of $1,500 bail.
The Royall's two children were removed from the home, on Bracelet Drive off Lyons Road southeast of the village, by the Florida Department of Children and Families. The arrest report states DCF also took custody of the children in 2012 due to the "deplorable condition" of the house.
The deputy who entered the Royall’s home early Friday was immediately struck by a strong odor of urine and noticed roaches “crawling all over the floors and walls.” The deputy estimated “well over” 5,000 roaches in the home’s family room alone, the report said.
“When I opened the fridge you could barely see the bottoms of the drawers and shelves due to the amount of dead cockroaches, bugs and cockroach eggs,” the deputy wrote in the arrest report.
The deputy found two large pieces of feces in one of the rooms and noted on the arrest report they were too large to be left behind by two small dogs and three cats in the home and “appeared to be human made.”
The toilet in one bathroom was filled to the brim with dark, stagnant water and “did not appear to have been flushed for several weeks,” the report said.
A hole the size of a “regular-sized coffee table” was found in the roof and a discarded open container of peanut butter filled with roaches was found on a dresser where the children slept, the report said.
Asked if they thought the home was suitable for their children, the Royalls both said no, the report said.
Robin Royall self-published last year a book titled, “The Brothers Royall — And the Dangerous Dragon (Volume 1)” that sells on Amazon for $6.99.
Under the heading “about the author,” Royall writes: “This book was inspired by my children. I (live in West Palm Beach, Florida. Happily married for 11 years with 2 wonderful boys.”)
About the Author
