Officers arrived at a house on 2721 Royal Palm Drive to check on the well-being of the children. After arriving, officers discovered over 245 animals from more than 10 species.
Officers observed that neither the children or the animals were being “cared for properly.”
They also saw a “dead guinea pig in a cage, rotting food, animal feces, and urine” inside the home.
Police have identified the suspects as Melissa Hamilton, Greg Nelson, and Susan Nelson who are to be charged with three counts of child abuse and 66 counts of animal cruelty.
The Department of Children and Families has placed the three children with a responsible family member, while the animals were placed in the Edgewater Animal Shelter.
Police asked the public for donations, whether clothes, toys, or money.
Donations for the animals can be dropped off at the animal shelter, while donations for the children can be dropped off at the EPD, located at 135 East Park Avenue, Edgewater, FL 32132.
“Please ensure the donations are in new condition. Monetary donations for the children can be made to the Edgewater Police Volunteers Association at the Police Department lobby,” officials wrote in the Facebook post.
Authorities said that Greg Nelson is currently under police custody while Melissa Hamilton’s location is unknown.
- Dogs: 4
- Cats: 2
- Guinea pigs: 9 plus 1 deceased
- Rabbits: 12
- Hamsters: 4
- Sugar gliders: 10
- Birds: 14
- Gecko: 1
- Tortoise: 1
- Hedgehog: 1
- Bearded dragons: 7
- Leopard spotted gecko: 1
- Mice: 95
- Rats: 60 adults 23 babies
Abandoned Pit Bull Learns to Love Again
In related news, Florida police officers were serving eviction notices in a neighborhood when they were notified by children about a caged dog.The cops found the dog outside an abandoned apartment.
The dog, named Dice, was a 3-year-old pit bull mix who would have died if he hadn’t been found. The officers called animal control, and Dice was transported to a local shelter.
Tracey Godin, co-founder of Feeling Fine Rescue in Loxahatchee, was dismayed at the plight of the dog.
“The police, of course, asked the children how long the dog had been there, and they said they thought he’d been there a week or more,” she added.
Dice was clearly dehydrated and anemic. He could barely walk a few steps without falling, and his skull was visible; that indicated the amount of muscle mass he’d lost.
Dice had probably been neglected for months.
Under the watchful care of Tracey, the pooch began to make a speedy recovery.
All that suffering turned out for the better as he was then spotted by a family in late December 2018, who fell in love with him the moment they saw him.
Dice finally found his happy home where he would be under the care of a loving family.
