When authorities were called to an Indiana house after an elderly woman died there this month, they found a home covered in feces, urine – and dozens upon dozens of cats.
At some point, authorities also discovered a child who had been living in the home with the elderly woman and two other adults – a husband and wife. What remains unclear was how the child is related to the other residents, when the child was found and in what condition.
Several animal cages, plastic bins and dirty cat litter were scattered all around the one-story home in the small Indiana town of Daleville.
Over the next few days, crews wearing hazmat suits were at the home rescuing the animals, according to local media reports.
The final tally: 111 cats. Many of which are female and pregnant, according to a Fox affiliate. Others were kittens no older than a day.
Steve Wood, 51, and Angela Lock-Wood, 47, are now facing child neglect charges. The elderly woman, who died of natural cases, was Lock-Wood’s mother, according to the Muncie Star Press.
The couple was charged Tuesday with a Level 6 felony for knowingly placing the child “in a situation that endangered the dependent’s life or health,” according to charging documents. A Level 6 felony is punishable by 6 months to 2 1/2 years in prison. Online court records show the two are scheduled for an initial hearing Aug. 29.
The child is now in the custody of Child Protective Services, according to the Muncie Star Press.
Delaware County Chief Trial Deputy Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said the couple was not arrested. He declined to comment on the pending charges or on the living conditions in the home, which, according to the paper, had already been condemned before authorities arrived.
The Daleville Police Department did not return a call from The Washington Post.
The nearby Muncie Animal Shelter has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the costs of the sudden influx of the animals – all needed to be spayed, neutered and vaccinated.
“Our cat rooms are literally overflowing. We are out of cages, nearly out of funds, and out of space,” says the page. “The cats that were removed are going to require a lot of medical attention that, unfortunately, the shelter does not have the funds for.”
The organization is hoping to raise $9,000. It has raised $6,550 as of Friday.
Most of the cats have upper respiratory infections and are infested with fleas, according to the page. Some tested positive for feline leukemia and feline AIDS, Phil Peckinpaugh, the shelter’s superintendent, told the Muncie Star Press.
About 50 of the cats have been placed with rescue groups, while around 30 have been adopted, Peckinpaugh told the paper.
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Peckinpaugh told the paper. “We’ve received a lot of support from the community, and other support groups.”
Efforts to reach Peckinpaugh on Friday were unsuccessful.
In describing the conditions of the house to local media, he said it was impossible for him to stay more than 10 seconds inside without any protection. What he’d seen is the worst case of hoarding he’s ever seen, Peckinpaugh told a local NBC affiliate.
“Every square inch of the home was covered with feces and urine. Was just horribly sad,” Peckinpaugh told the TV station. “It was the most overpowering smell of ammonia I’ve ever smelled. Mix that with the stale air that’s in there.”
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Kristine Guerra
