Blackstone Home Where Infants' Bodies Found Torn Down

BLACKSTONE (CBS/AP) — A four-man crew has demolished the squalid Blackstone house in which the skeletal remains of three dead infants were found.

The home's owner had until 9 a.m. Tuesday to contact the town or seek a court order to halt the demolition, but failed to do so, Blackstone Town Administrator Daniel Keyes said.

All utilities had been shut off and someone went through the building to make sure no one was inside before a backhoe clawed at the outer walls.

The town's fire department hosed down the debris and dust to contain the offensive odors still emanating from the home which had been filled with dirty diapers, animal carcasses and infested with insects and rodents.

Blackstone's Board of Health ordered the demolition and cleanup, which is expected to take two days.

Watch Raw Video Of Demolition:

Erika Murray, the woman who lived in the house with four children and her longtime boyfriend, is being held on $1 million bail on charges including fetal death concealment. She has pleaded not guilty.

Murray's lawyer Keith Halpern said last week that she appears to have mental health issues. He said Murray told him the dead infants were born starting about eight years ago and at least one was born alive and lived a few days before she found the child dead in a bassinet. The state medical examiner has not determined how old the babies were or how they died.

Murray's other four children, ranging in age from 6 months to 13 years, were removed from the house in August. Authorities found the infants' remains in a more thorough search a few weeks later.

Workers in hazmat suits spent days cleaning out the house. The town spent $20,000 on the cleanup and about $8,500 to take it down.

The house is owned by Kristina Rivera of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the sister of Murray's boyfriend, Raymond Rivera.

She has had no comment and city officials say she has not responded to them.

Raymond Rivera, who lived in the basement, has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging he grew marijuana in the home.

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