[Warning : Potentially Triggering Content]
A woman has been arrested after police discovered a horror show of animal neglect and child abuse in her home.
Shannon Marie Morgan (pictured in her mugshot above) of Beverly Hills, Florida, was arrested last week after Citrus County Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint of animal cruelty. It turned out to be a lot of it — and not just to animals.
Upon entering Morgan’s home the responding officers were met with “the pungent smell of ammonia” according to a public statement from after the arrest, and the cause of the smell was quickly found to be due to the copious amounts of animals living in the home:
“They initially observed several cages and glass aquariums containing snakes and rodents but also saw rats and cats running freely in the home. It was blatantly obvious; these animals were deprived of all their basic necessities.”
Snakes, cats, and rats! Oh my…
Related: Quinton Simon Was Beaten To Death ‘With An Object’ Causing ‘Excessive Pain’
The arrest affidavit describes the home as having “slippery” floor “due to the urine and feces” as well as the ceiling being “covered in flies”. In the press release, the sheriff continued on to say:
“Moving throughout the house officials were taken aback by the other deplorable conditions such as trash, dirty dishes, and rotten food scattered all throughout the residence, causing more roaches and flies to pervade the area.”
This is your warning if you have a weak stomach, but you can see the footage of the home for yourself (below):
Absolutely horrifying. And it only gets worse from here because the details continue to get more sickening, reader discretion is advised.
In the affidavit it was stated one of the bedrooms housed two small cages containing a ferret and a dog which were being used as something like a jail. Both animals were “deprived of food and water”. The animals weren’t the only ones suffering, though…
Police found a child in one of the bedrooms, too. The room had a mattress on the floor “covered in roaches” and multiple cats littered the room as they actively “dismembered a rat”.
Absolutely disgusting. That poor child and those poor animals…
A third bedroom held 50 rodents in cages as well as over 300 roaming freely — the rats had completely “taken over control” of the room. Animal control removed seven cats and one dog before the house was locked down for “further investigation,” which included the removal of three snakes and hundreds of rats.
Morgan argued she didn’t live at the residence anymore but claimed she visited nightly. She said she was “aware that it has gotten bad but has not gotten help until today when she called a rodent company” and also added she “did not want to live in the conditions her home was in.” Which, if so, why was the child in that bedroom? Did she leave the poor kid there alone? So many questions unanswered…
The 38-year-old homeowner in question was charged with 12 counts of animal abuse and one count of child neglect due to the state of the home. Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a statement after the initial arrest:
“Abuse of any kind should not be tolerated. The conditions of this residence and the animals in this case were so bad, Sheriff’s Office personnel were cautioned about making entry. Neither children nor animals should ever endure this type of environment. It is crucial that our citizens report any possible signs of child or animal neglect. Our Animal Control Officers, deputies and crime scene specialists once again have done a phenomenal job.”
Such a stomach-churning case. Reactions, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Citrus County Sheriff’s Office]
