A woman has been taken into custody after police discovered a child and more than 300 animals living in her home in squalid conditions among faeces, insects and waste.
On Wednesday, December 7, in Beverly Hills, Florida, a 38-year-old woman was arrested after law enforcement made a sordid discovery. After an anonymous call alleging the suspect’s cruelty to animals, Citrus County police officers attended her home. At the scene, they were quickly overwhelmed by “a foul smell emanating from the house”. Inside, the shock was great!
The living room was filled with cages and aquariums housing snakes and rodents. “The snake enclosure and the rodent cages were surrounded by flies, cockroaches and other insects due to droppings and urine buildup“, said the police report. In one of the rooms, a dog and a ferret were also found in similar conditions. According to the first findings of the police, the animals had no water or food available, and some had even died.
“There was blood on the ground”
Unfortunately, the discoveries did not stop there. In another room, the police found a child. “I observed trash all over the room and food. There was a mattress on which the victim slept who was lying directly on the floor, covered in cockroaches. There were several cats in the room, some of which were eating a rotting rat. There was blood on the floor“.described one of the police officers present on the spot.
Authorities said more than 50 rats were found in cages with around 300 more roaming freely. Seven cats, a dog and a ferret were evacuated from the house by CCSO Animal Resources. Questioned by the police, the mother of the child explained that she had let herself be overtaken by her animals, explaining to the investigators that she no longer lived in the house and that she was trying to “kill animals so you don’t have to take care of them”. She was eventually arrested on 12 counts of animal cruelty and one count of child neglect with total bond set at $26,000.