11 Children Rescued From ‘Filthy’ Compound in New Mexico Desert

Police searching for a missing 3-year-old boy in rural New Mexico stumbled upon a makeshift compound housing 11 children who were reportedly starving and living in filth, local authorities said. The children, who ranged in age from 1 to 15, were rescued from the site in the small town of Amalia and turned over to state welfare workers, according to Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe. Two men were arrested at the compound, including one who was armed with a rifle and four handguns when police arrived. A man identified as Siraj Wahhaj was taken into custody on a Georgia warrant for child abduction, while the other man, Lucas Morten, was arrested on suspicion of harboring a fugitive. Local media reports identify Wahhaj as the father of the missing 3-year-old, who has yet to be found. Police say they had been conducting surveillance on the compound in search of the toddler when they received a message from someone inside saying people were starving and needed water, which compelled them to search the premises. Hogrefe, the sheriff, said the children were found in “ the saddest living conditions and poverty I have seen.”