COCHRANTON, Pa. (EYT) — Two Cochranton women are facing charges after allegedly failing to provide proper care for two children who were under their care.

According to court documents, Franklin-based State Police filed criminal charges against 41-year-old Laura Angeline Lane, and 25-year-old Brittany Amber Dodson, both of Cochranton.

According to a criminal complaint, an investigation revealed that two children in the care of Laura Lane and Brittany Dodson — a two-year-old and an infant — had been taken to Hope Pediatrics in Pittsburgh and received health evaluations that caused concern for their care to the point that Children and Youth Services were contacted and the children were removed from their home and placed into foster care.

In a letter to authorities, a doctor at Hope Pediatrics in Pittsburgh stated concerns about cognitive delays and inappropriate social interaction and behavior in the two-year-old child. The doctor had scheduled a medical appointment for testing, but the caregivers failed to show for the appointments.

The doctor also shared concerns because the infant’s growth had been marginal, and this put him at a risk for further development. He had flat affect and inappropriate emotional responsiveness; his weight gain and growth had declined; and his head growth had been spared. These are indicators of inadequate nutrition.

After being placed into foster care, the infant gained 19 ounces in 16 days. The doctor related that in her opinion, his weight gain was due to the fact he had not been getting “adequate nutrition” prior to his “living situation,” according to the complaint.

Around 2:00 p.m. on November 14, 2017, state police and a CYS representative went to Lane and Dodson’s residence and interviewed both women. They observed that the house was very dirty, cluttered, and cold. It did not appear that any heating of the home was being done.

The women told police that Dodson and her children moved into the residence due to the fact she had no one else to stay with. They said they have missed appointments for the children’s care because the appointments were in Pittsburgh, and they have trouble obtaining transportation. They also said the children have trouble eating, but it is not because they do not try feeding them regularly; they just refuse to eat, or they eat but it is not putting weight on them. The women told police they felt the children had been well taken care of, the complaint states.

Around 12:00 p.m. on November 13, police interviewed one of the foster parents currently caring for the two children. The foster parent stated there has been an unbelievable change in the development and health of both children. The two-year-old is beginning to speak in an understandable way. The infant’s muscles are beginning to develop. Both children are beginning to be able to interact with other children. The foster parent also told police that when the children first arrived, they did not know how to even play or play with toys, according to the complaint.

Preliminary hearings for Laura Lane and Brittany Dodson are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on February 21, at Venango County Central Court.

Both individuals face a first-degree misdemeanor charge of Endangering Welfare of Children-Parent/Guardian/Other Commits Offense.