A couple has been arrested and charged after police found an 8-month-old baby living among filth and a decomposing goat carcass.
The child was found living in severely unsanitary conditions alongside over 40 animals at a home in South Carolina last week.
Kayla Renard and Nicholas Foley have now been charged with unlawful conduct toward a child and ill-treatment of animals, as well as violations of town ordinances.
Highlights
- An 8-month-old baby was found living in filthy conditions with 47 animals and a rotting goat carcass in South Carolina.
- Parents Kayla Renard and Nicholas Foley were charged with child neglect, animal cruelty, and town ordinance violations after a police raid.
- The house was filled with trash, animal feces, and maggots in food bowls.
- The animals rescued included raccoons, rabbits, dogs, cats, and chickens.
- The parents showed no emotion during their arrest, despite the horrific living conditions and the removal of their baby by authorities.
Police found the home covered in filth and animal feces
Image credits: WYFF
Honea Path Police said they uncovered the shocking conditions after being contacted by social services over child welfare concerns.
The child has now been placed in the care of a relative.
Inside the home, officers found deceased animals, including a dead goat in the bathtub, as well as animal feces and waste throughout the house.
Image credits: WYFF
More than 40 animals, including raccoons, rabbits, dogs, cats, and chickens, were subsequently rescued by Dr. Kim Sanders from PAWS.
“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,” a police statement said.
Sanders told WYFF TV that the amount of feces and ammonia in the house made breathing very difficult.
“It was just absolutely disgusting and just really depressing for my staff and myself. It’s just hard to see animals in that kind of condition,” she said.
Image credits: WYFF
Images from inside the home show there were no water bowls for the animals, with the home filled with clutter and filth.
Rubbish bags were thrown throughout the property, and conditions were so bad that maggots were found crawling in food bowls.
Dogs were also kept in small crates that were stacked upon each other.
“Even just the living conditions for any human, while that’s their choice, for the animals, it was not their choice,” Sanders added.
Nicholas Foley and Kayla Renard reportedly showed no emotion as officers removed their child from their filthy home
Image credits: Honea Path Police Department
“This one was tough, and knowing there was an 8-month-old baby in there as well is just—I can’t comprehend.”
Police Chief Christopher Miller said that the child was okay, and it was likely the house would be deemed uninhabitable.
“The child was in pretty good condition for the unsanitary condition of the house,” he said.
Speaking to FOX Carolina, he detailed the disturbing scenes inside the home.
“Once my officers went inside, they discovered just piles of trash and animal feces. There were several different types of animals running around,” Miller said.
Image credits: WYFF
“Raccoons, chickens, cats, dogs. There was a dead goat in the bathtub in the bathroom that had been decomposing for several days.
“It was just one of the most horrific scenes that I’ve ever been a part of in 30 years.”
Miller also said that the parents of the child were emotionless during the house search and arrest.
He told the outlet they were “sitting there calm” and showed “no emotion,” with “no facial expressions.”
“You would think that they’d be a little upset that someone was taking their eight-month-old baby, that the police were there and discovered the horrific conditions of this house,” he said.
“You would think that they would have to know that they were in trouble.”