A New York woman has been charged with animal abuse and endangering an elderly person after more than 200 animals and a 95-year-old woman were rescued from a “hoarding situation.”
Suffolk County authorities searched the home of Samantha Boyd, a 57-year-old Northport resident, early Wednesday morning after receiving a complaint of possible animal hoarding. Authorities found hundreds of domestic and wild animals living in “overcrowded and unsanitary conditions,” according to a Thursday press release from the district attorney’s office.
Officials gave a non-exhaustive list of 26 different species, among them were dogs, cats, ferrets, flying squirrels, parrots, chickens and tortoises.
All the animals were “living in cages with piles of waste and filth, with unsanitary food and water sources, in severe states of overcrowding,” officials said, adding that the inside of the home was “infested with insects, spiders, and other pests.”
John Di Leonardo, anthrozoologist and Executive Director of Humane Long Island, said in a statement that the animals were “languishing in their own filth with bone infections and staph infections.”
Inside the “extremely cluttered” home, which was filled “wall-to-wall with debris, garbage, and household waste,” authorities found an elderly woman who was “confined by all the debris,” the DA’s office said. Authorities have not provided an update on her condition.
All the animals were rescued within a one-day operation with the help of multiple non-profit organizations, and many of the animals will be up for adoption soon through local rescue group’s including Humane Long Island, Wildlife Center of Long Island and Strong Island Animal Rescue.
As for the wild animals, Di Leonardo said his group would provide the animals “with veterinary care that they so desperately need after they were obviously denied even the most basic care.
“We will then begin the process of moving them back to the wild or to reputable sanctuaries where they should’ve been all along.”
Boyd was arrested and charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person. Boyd’s 61-year-old partner, Neal Weschler, was charged with multiple counts of animal cruelty.
Boyd has pleaded not guilty, according to the New York Post. She was reportedly released from custody but is under the supervision of probation. Weschler is waiting for his arraignment hearing, the district attorney said, per the New York Post.
“This was a deeply distressing situation, but thanks to the swift action and collaboration between our office and the dedicated rescue partners, these animals are now safe and receiving the care that they urgently need,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
