The trial for Michael and Maureen Bell, accused of housing their five children in an uninhabitable home, will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Salem District Court.

The Bells have been charged with five counts each of endangering the welfare of a child for keeping their children in the 31 Twinbrook Ave. home, which was found to be ridden with health code violations.

They’ve been free on personal recognizance bail since their arraignments, and their children, ages 2 through 9, have been staying with relatives.

The Bells were renting the splitlevel home for $2,000 a month for just under two years when their 2-year-old daughter was found wandering naked down Oakridge Avenue, which intersects with Twinbrook Avenue.

An Oakridge Avenue resident found the little girl on the evening of July 4 and called police, who returned her to her parents, Michael and Maureen Bell, ages 33 and 32 respectively.

When police arrived, the Bells were watching three of their own children – two of them, ages 5 and 9, were not home at the time – and three of a relative’s children. The Bells were allegedly not sure how many children were in their home, and had not seen their 2-year-old leave.

Police began investigating when they saw the condition of the home, reporting seeing spoiled food throughout the home, smelling a nauseating odor of food and trash, and finding soiled diapers strewn on the floor.

Police also reported seeing raw sewage in the sink and toilet on the second level, and ants in the kitchen. Old appliances and trash were strewn across the yard.

On July 7, Salem health inspector Brian Lockard deemed the home uninhabitable after investigating with police and representatives from the state’s Division of Youth and Family Services.

Salem health officials had already been to the house three times because of litter in the yard while the Bells were renting it, but had not been inside.

Lockard said at the time of his investigation it looked as though the house had gone neglected for more than a year.

Salem police brought charges against the Bells, who turned themselves in on July 10.

Kim Poirier of Peterborough, owner of the home, said the Bells always paid their rent on time, and although she’d received calls from Lockard about the yard’s condition, the Bells always assured her the house was being properly maintained.

Poirier and her husband, Dan Poirier, have been working to clean up the home. In August, Lockard deemed the home livable again.