Pertilla and Medrano were subsequently questioned by detectives. The MCSO reports that when asked why their daughter was left alone, the mother stated the girl did not want to leave her service animals.
MCSO: Mother, stepfather moved to Florida, left child to live alone with animals and filth in Alabama
A mother and stepfather who live and work in Pensacola have been arrested and charged with child abuse after officials in Mobile County learned their underage daughter was left to live alone with animals in an Eight Mile mobile home covered in urine, feces, roaches and trash, according to the...
According to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the teenager was left to live alone with seven dogs in a mobile home covered in urine, feces, roaches and trash. Officials said one of the dogs was found dead in a closet.
The parents are accused of moving an hour away to Pensacola, Florida, from their home in Mobile County last February.
The investigation began on Sunday when employees of a Dollar General called police because they saw the girl stumbling down the road in front of the store.
Responding deputies said the girl was experiencing dizziness and stomach pain.
She was taken to the hospital for treatment, where she was interviewed by detectives.
During the interview, the teen said that she had been living alone with her dogs in a mobile home since approximately February of last year — around the time of her 14th birthday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials said the girl told them that her mother, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and her stepfather, Eugene Medrano, moved to Pensacola and that the last time she saw them was Oct. 31.
The child told authorities that communication with her parents was primarily through Snapchat, and her mother would send food via DoorDash or Walmart deliveries.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office and Prichard Animal Control executed a search warrant at the home where the girl was living
Read moreOfficials said the interior of the single-wide trailer was covered in urine, feces, roaches and trash. Seven dogs were found on the property, including one dog that was found dead inside a closet.
The remaining dogs were taken by Prichard Animal Control.
Detectives also found a handwritten letter from the girl that was titled “How many times mom tells me that she can’t pick me up!” The letter reportedly had 87 tally marks on it.
The mother and stepfather were charged with child abuse and animal cruelty.
Child lived alone with 7 dogs for nearly a year after her parents moved states and left her behind, deputies say
A mother and stepfather are facing child abuse charges after officials said they moved to Florida while leaving their 14-year-old daughter behind in Alabama to live by herself for nearly a year.
Disturbing allegations coming to light after a 14-year-old girl was found to be living alone in unimaginable conditions for nearly a year. Dollar General assistant manager Jessica Smitherman says she’s seen the girl at the store a few times.
“I’ve seen her in the store months and months ago, but she was with a little boy, and they would do some grocery shopping. I’ve never seen any parent with them,” said Jessica Smitherman.
Smitherman saw the girl at the store again around 8:30 Sunday morning, but this time things were different.
“She had looked like she hadn’t had a bath in months, she had dog hair all over her clothes she smelled very bad. She was staggering,” added Smitherman. “I could definitely tell something was wrong so I sat her down in a chair outside the store and started asking her some questions asking her if I can call her mom, if there was anything I can do. She ended up saying she wanted me to call the ambulance.”
Continue readingThat call led to an investigation by the sheriff’s office where they discovered the girl’s mother Marchelle Lynn Pertilla and her stepfather Eugene Medrano moved to Pensacola for work and left the girl alone in this mobile home because she didn’t want to leave her two service dogs.
“As a parent a 14-year-old doesn’t get to make that decision if you’re a parent,” said Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch. “The parents should have stepped up and did the right thing.”
Store employee’s call leads to child abuse investigation involving 14-year-old left alone for almost a year
Investigators say the girl’s mother Marchelle Lynn Pertilla and her stepfather Eugene Medrano moved to Pensacola for work and left the girl alone in a mobile home because she didn’t want to leave her two service dogs.
