Florida woman, 38, is arrested after young child is found in home surrounded by 300 RATS
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Florida woman, 38, is arrested after a toddler was found in her home surrounded by 300 RATS, roaches and blood stains where a cat had killed one of the rodents.
- Shannon Marie Morgan, 38, was arrested Wednesday night after Citrus County sheriff’s deputies found a young boy living in deplorable conditions.
- Authorities say they were “overwhelmed” by the smell of ammonia in their Beverly Hills home and found an “accumulation” of feces, garbage and rotting food.
- Agents later found rodents roaming the house freely, before stumbling upon a small child in a trash-covered room.
- Morgan faces 12 counts of animal cruelty and neglect, and is being held on $26,000 bond.
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A Florida woman has been arrested after sheriff’s deputies found a toddler in her home surrounded by more than 300 rats and other insects living in disgusting conditions.
Citrus County sheriff’s deputies said they first responded to the Beverly Hills home of Shannon Marie Morgan to investigate a complaint of animal cruelty Wednesday night.
Once they arrived on scene, officers said they were immediately “overwhelmed” by the smell of ammonia and found an “accumulation” of feces, trash and rotting food, creating an infestation of flies and roaches.
Agents later found reptiles, rodents and cages, as well as free-roaming cats chasing the hordes of rodents, before stumbling upon the toddler in a trash-strewn room.
Morgan, 38, now faces 12 counts of animal cruelty and child neglect. and he is being held on $26,000 bond while animal control officers work to clean up the house.
It is not clear if he has retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Shannon Marie Morgan, 38, was arrested Wednesday after sheriff’s deputies found a toddler in her home surrounded by more than 300 rats and other insects living in disgusting conditions.
A video posted online showed dozens of rats inside a cage running up the walls.
Other scenes released by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office showed rats roaming freely in the Beverly Hills, Florida home.
Videos and photos from the scene show dozens of rats in cages, climbing the walls and running freely through the house.
Authorities say they also found several small reptiles in cages and aquariums, including a large snake.
One room was even home to 50 rats, with more than 300 running free, while a second room housed a ferret in a cage filled with feces and a dog found inside a box that authorities said was “completely too small.” “.
None of the animals had food or water in their cages, and sheriff’s deputies wrote on Facebook: “It was blatantly obvious: these animals were deprived of all their basic needs.”
The little boy was eventually found in a third bedroom that authorities said was “full of trash,” where even the mattress was covered in roaches, while the floor was stained with blood from one of the cats killing a female. rat.
Animal control officers will return to the Beverly Hills home (pictured) to retrieve the other animals from the scene.
One bedroom was filled with cages for rodents and small reptiles, including a snake.
“Abuse of any kind should not be tolerated,” Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a statement, adding: “The conditions of this residence and the animals in this case were so poor that sheriff’s office personnel were advised to not enter”.
“Neither children nor animals should ever put up with this kind of environment,” he said. “It is crucial that our citizens report any potential signs of child or animal neglect.”
Animal control officers have now removed seven cats, a dog and a ferret from the home as authorities continue to investigate living conditions at the home.
Documents obtained by DailyMail.com show that Morgan had previously defaulted on his mortgage payments for the single-story home, and the sheriff’s office listed it as for sale in July.
Animal control officers are now scheduled to return to the Beverly Hills home at a later date to remove all other animals.