(LaPorte, IN) - LaPorte County is still in shock over the neglectful and brutal demise of four-year-old Judah Morgan earlier this week.

 

Judah's battered body was found wrapped in a blanket of his Union Township home early Monday morning. Three unattended children and a neglected dog were also found in the house, allegedly littered with rotten food and animal feces.

 

Judah's parents, 28-year-old Alan Morgan and 26-year-old Mary Yoder, made their first appearance in LaPorte Circuit Court Friday. Both pleaded not guilty. Yoder reportedly asked for a reduced bond so she could attend her son's funeral. The prosecuting attorney and Judge Tom Alevizos objected, saying it would be too expensive to provide adequate security for Yoder. A jury trial was scheduled for October of next year.

 

Among the case's unanswered questions is how Judah was allowed to live in such conditions. Multiple sources indicate the child was returned to his parents' custody this spring by DCS after several years in foster care.

 

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Judah's funeral expenses and possible legal costs.