Deputies say a 14-year-old lived alone with seven dogs; one was found dead inside a closet.
EIGHT MILE, AL — A Dollar General employee who saw a 14-year-old girl staggering outside the store on Sunday morning called 911, leading Mobile County deputies to a single-wide trailer where the teen had been living alone for months, authorities said.
Deputies arrested the girl’s mother, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and stepfather, Eugene Medrano, on child abuse charges after interviews and a search of the home. Investigators say the pair moved to Florida for work while their daughter remained in Alabama. The case, now in the hands of county child welfare officials and animal control, centers on what deputies described as squalid living conditions and the teen’s account of being left with multiple dogs and little adult supervision. The arrests mark the first major step in a case that has drawn sharp reaction from law enforcement and neighbors.
Deputies were dispatched around 8:30 a.m. Sunday to the Dollar General at 3975 Jarrett Road after assistant manager Jessica Smitherman reported that the teen appeared disoriented, unbathed and covered in dog hair. Smitherman said she seated the girl outside and called for help. The girl was taken to a local hospital and later told a detective she had been living by herself since about February 2025, around her birthday, in a trailer at 3955 Jarrett Road in the Eight Mile area. She said her mother and stepfather were in Pensacola, Florida, and that she last saw them on Oct. 31, 2025. “As a parent, a 14-year-old doesn’t get to make that decision,” Sheriff Paul Burch said, criticizing the choice to leave the teen behind.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the trailer on Monday and documented floors covered in urine and feces, roaches, piled trash and a bathtub filled with brown water. Seven dogs were found on the property, four inside the trailer. One dog was discovered dead in a closet. Prichard Animal Control took custody of the surviving animals. Detectives also collected a handwritten note from the teen’s sleeping area titled “How many times mom tells me that she can’t pick me up!” with about 87 hash marks, according to a sheriff’s office report. Deputies said the household communicated mainly through Snapchat, and the mother sometimes arranged food deliveries through DoorDash or Walmart drop-offs. The teen, whom investigators described as having special needs, remained hospitalized for evaluation before being placed under the care of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
The sheriff’s office said Pertilla and Medrano returned to Mobile County after being contacted by the hospital and were questioned by detectives. When asked why the teen was left, Pertilla said the girl did not want to leave her service animals, investigators reported. Deputies booked both adults into the Mobile County Metro Jail on child abuse charges; animal cruelty counts were also added after the search. Bond information was not immediately available on Thursday. Authorities said it was unknown exactly when or how the dog in the closet died, and they did not immediately release a full veterinary assessment of the surviving animals.
Law enforcement officials emphasized that the case began with a store worker’s call. Burch publicly thanked the Dollar General employee, saying quick reporting allowed deputies to respond before the situation worsened. People who frequent the Jarrett Road store said they had occasionally seen the teen shopping in recent months. Smitherman, the assistant manager, said the teen told her Sunday she needed an ambulance, which prompted the 911 call. Neighbors near the trailer said they noticed multiple dogs on the property and a foul odor at times but were surprised to learn a minor was allegedly alone inside for such a long period.
Records reviewed by investigators indicate the family moved across state lines last year for jobs, according to the sheriff’s office. The teen told detectives that food came intermittently by delivery and that she messaged her mother on Snapchat. Deputies said they are checking welfare records, delivery histories and phone communications to build a timeline. Officials noted that the last in-person contact with the parents, as described by the teen, was on Halloween, adding weight to the allegation that she spent the holidays by herself in the trailer.
The case will proceed through Mobile County District Court. Pertilla and Medrano face child abuse charges and multiple counts of animal cruelty tied to the conditions described in the warrant return. The sheriff’s office said additional charges could be considered as investigators analyze evidence from the home and review medical findings from the hospital. Prichard Animal Control is evaluating the surviving dogs and coordinating with veterinarians. DHR has temporary custody of the teen. A first appearance for the defendants is expected once jail processing is complete; a hearing date had not been posted by Thursday evening.
Late Thursday, Burch said investigators were still taking statements and urged anyone with firsthand information about the teen’s recent welfare checks to contact the sheriff’s office. “We are continuing to search for answers on why this young girl was living alone and whether or not others tried calling law enforcement,” he said. Outside the shuttered trailer on Jarrett Road, a deputy’s cruiser idled while animal control workers finished collecting evidence bags. At the Dollar General, customers drifted past the bench where the teen sat days earlier asking for help, and a manager straightened a row of carts in the morning sun.
The girl remains in state care as detectives finalize reports and prosecutors review potential charges beyond the initial counts. Officials said the next significant update is expected after the defendants’ first court appearance, anticipated within the coming days. As of Thursday night, the sheriff’s office had not released bond figures or a detailed medical update on the teen.
Author note: Last updated January 9, 2026.