(WHDH) — A man and two women are facing nearly 70 child abuse and animal cruelty charges after authorities say they found three young children and 245 animals living in a “deplorable” home.
Officers conducting a wellbeing check at a home on Royal Palm Drive in Edgewater, Florida, on Sunday observed a dead guinea pig in a cage, rotting food, animal feces, and urine throughout the residence, according to the Edgewater Police Department.
“It was immediately evident neither the children nor the animals were being cared for properly,” the department said in a press release. “The residence was in deplorable living conditions.”
The children, ages 8, 9 and 10, were removed from the residence by the Department of Children and Families and placed with a responsible family member, police said.
Melissa Hamilton, Greg Nelson, and Susan Nelson will be charged with three counts of child abuse and 66 counts of animal cruelty.
The animals, which included a hedgehog, bearded dragons, and 60 rats, were brought to the Edgewater Animal Shelter.
Police say the shelter and children are in need of donations.
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