A couple from South Carolina was arrested after their 8-month-old baby was found living with 47 unkept animals and a rotten goat carcass. According to Honea Path Police Department, officers responded to a social services request. Never did they think the living conditions would be so severely unsanitary.
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Officers visited 233 S. Shirley Avenue and were baffled by the scene. “During our investigation, we uncovered severe unsafe and unsanitary conditions that put the infant at risk,” they wrote. “Officers found the residence infested with numerous animals, including raccoons, rabbits, dogs, cats, chickens, and deceased animals.”
Police Find Eight-Month-Old Baby Living In Filth With Decomposing Goat
On top of live and dead animals, they found traces of animal feces throughout the home. They described the situation as “alarming” and called for assistance to deal with the animals.
They called Dr. Kim Sanders from PAWS, and alongside her team, they managed to remove all the animals. Worst of all was the rotten goat body. “Among the discoveries was a decomposing goat carcass in the bathtub,” they said.
It didn’t take long for police to arrest parents Kayla Renard and Nicholas Foley. They were charged with Unlawful Conduct Toward a Child and Ill Treatment of Animals. This is on top of multiple town ordinance violations. They’ve also given the couple a bond of over $10,000.
“In my 30-plus years of service, I have never encountered such a horrific situation involving unsanitary conditions and such a large number of animals,” the police department said.
WJCL spoke with Dr. Sanders about the horrific situation. “Just the amount of feces and ammonia, it was very, very difficult to breathe,” she said. “When we were there, there were no bowls for water. It was just absolutely disgusting and just really depressing for my staff and myself.”
The couple also had many dogs, their crates stacked on top of each other. “It was evident that they’ve not been out of those crates for quite some time,” said Sanders. “There were maggots crawling in the food bowls.”
Sanders found it difficult to see animals in that condition, but was glad to have saved them. “It’s rewarding to be able to take them out of there, but at the same time, they were definitely suffering,” Sanders continued.
As for the eight-month-old baby, the authorities placed them into the care of a family member. Police Chief Christopher Miller assured that the baby was alright. “The child is OK,” he said. “The child was in pretty good condition for the unsanitary condition of the house.”