A 41-year-old woman in Grovetown, Georgia, was arrested after authorities discovered a total of 9 deceased dogs in her home, 6 of which were found stuffed in a freezer and refrigerator.
WRDW News reports that on Jan. 4 at about 6:45 p.m., the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office responded to Margaret Nevils’ home to conduct a welfare check. This was after a concerned neighbor reported not seeing Nevils or her car since October. Once at Nevils’ residence, one deputy looked through two windows and saw an emaciated Pit Bull Terrier running toward him.
They noticed fecal matter on the floor of the home, as well as multiple holes chewed through the walls. After an animal services officer seized the surviving canine, deputies forced their way into the seemingly abandoned home.
Authorities noticed blood seeping from freezer
A thorough search of the residence led deputies to a refrigerator-freezer unit that had blood seeping from it. It was then they made the horrific discovery: several trash bags containing dog bodies stuffed in the freezer and refrigerator.
“I opened the fridge door, which you had to open to get into the freezer, and noticed a black trash bag inside with an animal foot sticking out of the bag,” a deputy stated in an incident report. “There were multiple bags in the fridge and freezer which contained dog carcasses.”
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies discovered 3 deceased dogs in the freezer and another 3 in the fridge. Upon further investigation, they found 3 dead dogs in the master bedroom, all in varying stages of decomposition.
Additionally, there were several empty dog cages and shredded furniture in another spare bedroom. Upon her arrest, authorities charged Nevils with animal cruelty and booked her into the Columbia County Detention Center, as reported by WFXG Fox 54 News.