An 11-week-old baby was tragically found cold and unresponsive while sleeping on a fold-out sofa in "disgusting squalor" and pictures have revealed the state of the home.
The baby died in 2018 while he was co-sleeping with his then-18-year-old mum, two older siblings and another teenager in South Australia.
The case has been revived due to an inquest this week which is investigating whether the unacceptable living conditions contributed to the boy's death.
The counsel assisting the coroner Sally Giles told the court the boy died in a house which was littered with soiled nappies, food scraps, cat faeces on the floor, vomit on the bedding and dead flies and cockroaches in the kitchen.
She said there was no food in the house and mouldy baby bottles contained curdled liquid.
"It's abundantly clear that [the boy] was living in squalor," she said.
Ms Giles continued: "This is not an exercise to criticise a teenage mother … but [she] was known to agencies who could have assisted and an agency that could have intervened."
The horrifying footage and images show the oven overflowing with filthy mould-ridden pans, pizza leftovers, and opened tins of milk formula and baby bottles.
The bed which the family slept on is covered in rubbish with filthy bed sheets.
The fridge was all but empty with a few pizza boxes and a can of dog food, while the cupboards also were barren.
South Australia Detective Brevet Sergeant Kym Mayger described the living conditions of the home as the worst he had seen in 20 years
The inquest is examining the Department of Child Protection’s (DCP) response in the lead-up to the boy’s death as it has been revealed that they received 23 notifications about the condition of the house between 2015 and 2018.
The baby also had injury marks stretching from his chin to his shoulder and the court heard he suspected the injuries were a result of the baby being squashed in between a bedframe.
A post-mortem examination found the baby died of a respiratory tract infection and just ten days before he died, the DCP received an urgent plea for assistance from a rural not-for-profit agency.
The inquest heard that the family's case manager was often refused access to the home by the teenage mum, causing them to sound the alarm.
But the department said they did not have the "capacity" to intervene and closed the case three days later.
The mother, whose identity is protected, was charged with and pleaded guilty to failing to provide adequate food, clothing and accommodation for the baby and his siblings.
She was given a good behaviour bond and the inquest heard she had made significant improvements since then.
The inquest continues.
