Englewood man goes into cardiac arrest after living in mold-infested home

An Englewood man is dead after his family claims he had to live inside of a mold-infested home.

Loved ones said Christian Childers had an asthma attack and went into cardiac arrest after being in close contact with mold for weeks.

Kendra Elliot, Childers’s fiance, believes it’s the mold in and on the walls that killed him.

“He didn’t have to die over toxic mold,” Elliot said.

The mold began growing after water from the Myakka River rushed in during Hurricane Ian.

They both thought the problem would be fixed.

Elliot noted that FEMA came, but denied the family assistance.

FEMA’s explanation for denying them assistance was due to the roof being intact.

WINK News asked Elliot for the report but she said Childers handled that information. Since he died, she doesn’t have access to his account.

Elliot also thought the landlord would do something, until she got an eviction notice on Dec. 16, stating it was unsafe to live there.

Childers, an asthma patient, went to the hospital on Christmas Eve and eventually died Monday.

“It’s really hard for me to piece everything back together,” Elliot said.

Nevertheless, she is trying to piece it all back together so nobody else has to lose a loved one the way she did.

To get it done right, Elliot is doing it by herself, writing letters to lawmakers, the governor, and to FEMA.

“I would hate to see anybody go through this unfortunately Christain had to be a sacrifice to save others,” Elliot said.

Elliot hopes that lawmakers, DeSantis, and FEMA will join forces and change the disaster policy to focus more on the dangers of living with mold.

Elliot and her kids are living with a friend for the time being.

They are looking for a permanent place to call home but because there is very little affordable housing available, they haven’t found a place yet.