Dead grandfather, 5 kids found in squalor in Iredell home

Iredell County authorities who went out on a call about a reported death found a dead grandfather and five children living in squalor in the house, officials said Tuesday.

There was no indication that the man, 62-year-old Leo Munoz, died of anything other than natural causes, said Maj. Andy Poteat with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.

When officials got to the West Winds Loop home Friday night in northern Iredell County, they said they found extremely unsanitary conditions.

Large amounts of trash, dirty clothes and food were scattered throughout the home. And there were plumbing leaks and raw sewage in the bathrooms, authorities said.

Five children, from 9 months to 13 years old, lived in the house. They were removed from the home and placed in the temporary custody of the county Department of Social Services.

The boyfriend and girlfriend living at the home were the children’s parents or guardians. Melissa Kay Lynn Poole, 25, and Jeremy Daniel Dishner, 39, were each charged with five counts of misdemeanor child abuse, authorities said.

Dishner also had an outstanding warrant in Alexander County for driving while license revoked that was served on him.

Between them, Dishner or Poole was the biological parent of four of the children, Poteat said, and the fifth child was Poole’s stepchild. Munoz was Poole’s father, Poteat said.

Dishner and Poole had posted bond and were released from the county jail, Poteat said.

The investigation is continuing. There was no immediate word on how long Munoz had been dead.

This story was originally published March 10, 2015 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Dead grandfather, 5 kids found in squalor in Iredell home."