Shannon Marie Morgan, 38, was arrested Wednesday night after deputies found a young child living in deplorable conditions. She is facing 12 counts of animal cruelty and neglect.
Deputies responded to Shannon Marie Morgan’s Beverly Hills home to investigate an animal cruelty complaint. What they discovered inside was deplorable.
Police found a build up of feces, trash, dirty dishes, and rotten food. There was an overwhelmingly pungent smell of ammonia, and over 300 rats that roamed the house freely.
As they inspected the home, authorities also found reptiles and rodents that were kept as pets. A large snake was found inside the home among other small reptiles. There were dozens of cages and aquariums containing the animals that were in severe stages of neglect.
A young child was inside of a third bedroom in the house, which was filled with trash and covered with roaches.
Cats also roamed about the house, killing the wandering rats. There was even a blood stain from where one of the cats killed a rat.
Morgan showed signs of extreme neglect toward her child, her animals, and her home. Sheriff Mike Prendergast said abuse of any kind should not be tolerated, and urged citizens to report any possible signs of child or animal neglect.
Shannon Morgan had defaulted on her mortgage payments and the house was listed as under sale by the sheriff’s office. Animal Control services will continue to remove all of the animals that were in the home.
The 38-year-old mother has been set at a $26,000 bond after her arrest. Further investigation of the house will continue to reveal any suspicious activity occurring in the house.