A Louisville mother has been sentenced to three years in state prison after authorities discovered her three children living in what prosecutors described as “inhumane” conditions.
Betty Sue Snider, 35, entered an Alford plea in July to multiple charges, including wanton endangerment, endangering the welfare of a minor, and abandonment. The plea allowed her to maintain her claim of innocence while acknowledging the state had enough evidence to convict her.
Children Forced to Live Outside
Court documents show the investigation began in August 2024 after Snider’s 16-year-old daughter arrived at school malnourished, dehydrated, and neglected. Administrators, worried about her two younger siblings (ages 10 and 11), contacted authorities.
When police conducted a welfare check, they found the younger children dirty, hungry, injured, and left unsupervised. They told officers they had been sleeping outside—sometimes in a tent, on a swing, or on chairs—because the inside of their mother’s trailer was uninhabitable.
Officers described the home as filled with trash, bugs, and filth. Snider admitted she hadn’t been inside the residence for months, telling police she knew it was “unlivable.”
History of Neglect
Neighbors and relatives said the warning signs were long ignored.
One neighbor recalled hearing the children “outside at 4 in the morning, screaming and fighting with each other.”
Their great-grandmother, Mary Buckhammer, told reporters she had filed multiple complaints with police and Child Protective Services. Despite living nearby, she said Snider wouldn’t allow the children to visit her.
“I said there’s kids living outside, using the bathroom outside, don’t take showers, eats once they can get their food,” Buckhammer explained. “Mother’s gone several days at a time at night. They really need help. They need somebody to do something.”
Snider was arrested in August 2024 and has now been ordered to serve three years in prison for neglecting her children.
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