Florida Family Arrested After Dozens of Diseased Dogs Found in ‘Sickening’, ‘Shocking’ Condition Inside Home

Deputies arrested three people after 49 dogs and one cat were found living in a Florida home in “shocking” and "sickening" condition.

Two months ago, deputies from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office and animal personnel were dispatched to investigate a complaint against a Fort Pierce home. There, they discovered the animals and families living in deplorable conditions.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and not many things surprise me. This was very, very shocking to me," St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara, who has since retired, told local station WPEC on Oct. 3. "I’ve said I’m not going to eat for a week, which is probably true because it’s sickening to see what these people lived in and what these dogs had to live in.”

Maria Valencia, the county's animal safety division manager, added that they discovered “feces all over the floor.”

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office detective Dawn Dale said at a recent press conference announcing the arrests that the dogs had parasitic infections such as hookworm and tapeworm, likely because no food was found in the home, and foreign objects were being found in the dogs’ stomachs and in their waste.

One dog, a pit bull-hound mix, had to be euthanized due to her poor condition. The sheriff’s office shared that she had been defecating plastic bags and other non-food items.

Another dog, a terrier-chihuahua mix, died in his kennel two days after being rescued from the home due to suspected medical issues caused by neglect.

"There was no running water or food found inside the residence," Dale said at the Thursday press conference. "The dogs were suffering from flea infestations and severe skin infections from scratching or chewing at their skin."

Kelly Anne Murphy, 44, Kimberly Renee Murphy, 43, and Brandon James Lyvers, 34, were all booked into jail this week, where they each face 50 counts of felony animal cruelty and 50 counts of confining an animal without sufficient food or water. The women’s relationship was not provided.

Kimberly was also charged with two counts of child neglect after two children were also found living in the home, as reported by WPEC.

As of Friday morning, the three individuals remained in jail. The two women have a bond set at $1.5 million each, and Lyvers has a bond set at $75,000.