Family Services had received reports about family living in filth

NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV (FOX5) -

The removal of eight children from a North Las Vegas home investigators described as deplorable has raised questions about how it got that way and why something wasn't done sooner.

The conditions of the apartment came to light about a month before a 3-month-old who lived there died on Jan. 20. That child was among the eight who had been removed from the home in late December.

According to police, trash and human waste covered portions of the unit and it was overrun by cockroaches.

SLIDESHOW: Inside home were dead infant lived

According to a Child Protective Services document, the Clark County Department of Family Services received 18 prior reports about the family. However, the department said reports aren't enough; claims must be substantiated.

The apartment, which North Las Vegas police referred to as an extreme environmental hazard," was home to eight children between the ages of 3 months and 17 years old.

If a parent's behavior is out of control, if it's severe, if it's imminent and it's observable danger, then a child can be removed, Clark County Department of Family Services manager Kechia English said.

Thirty-nine-year-old Geneva Morgan appeared in court on Wednesday, admitting she failed to provide a habitable environment for the children.

Police made entry into the home on Dec. 20.

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Family Services had received reports about family living in filth