Denver mom pleads guilty to abusing 4 young children

DENVER - A woman accused of neglecting her four sons and keeping them in a filthy Denver apartment has reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

Lorinda Bailey, who is either 36 or 37, pleaded guilty to a second offense of child abuse on Friday. In exchange, six other counts are being dropped.

Bailey and the children's father, Wayne Sperling, were accused of keeping the boys in an apartment filled with cat feces and flies. When police found the children - ages 2, 4, 5 and 6 - in October, they could communicate only in grunts, were malnourished and weren't toilet trained. CBS Denver reports the boys, who were taken from their home in October and are now in protective company.

Proceedings against the boys' father, who is in his mid-60s, are on hold as he undergoes a mental health evaluation.

The couple previously lost custody of other children amid similar allegations.

Prosecutors say the case is among the most horrific they've seen, but child abuse laws kept them from pursuing harsher penalties because the children didn't suffer serious physical injuries.