A 14-year-old girl in Alabama was pulled from a nightmare that sounds almost too grim to be real: left on her own in a filthy house, surrounded by dogs and the stench of waste, while her mother and stepfather allegedly started a new life in another state. Investigators say the teen’s mom, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and stepdad, Eugene Medrano, are now facing criminal charges after authorities discovered the conditions their daughter had been living in. The case has quickly become a stark example of how neglect can hide in plain sight until one small moment, and one concerned stranger, finally cracks it open.
According to law enforcement, the teen had been largely fending for herself for months before anyone realized how bad things were. By the time deputies walked into the house, they were not just dealing with a child in distress, but with a scene that officers describe as unfit for any person or animal.
The teen’s quiet struggle in a house of filth
Investigators in MOBILE COUNTY, Ala say the girl had been living alone for nearly a year after her mother and stepfather moved away, leaving her behind in a home caked in animal waste and trash. The child, identified only as a juvenile, reportedly told Officials that Marchelle Lynn Pertilla and Eugene Medrano had relocated to Florida for work, leaving her to manage the house and the animals on her own. Authorities say the property in Alabama was so filthy that animal control officers were called in to deal with the conditions inside.
Deputies later detailed that the juvenile had been surviving in a home shared with multiple dogs, with floors reportedly soaked in urine and covered in feces. In a broader summary of the case, law enforcement in MOBILE COUNTY, Ala, cited by WKRC, said the girl had been left to navigate these conditions as she approached another birthday, with no parent in the home to provide basic care or supervision.
A store employee, a 911 call, and a shocking rescue
The turning point came not inside the house, but outside a local Dollar General, where the teen finally crossed paths with someone who noticed she was in trouble. The Mobile County Sheriff, in a statement about the response to the Dollar General in Eight Mile, said deputies were called on a Sunday after a store worker dialed 911 about a girl who appeared unwell and alone. According to that statement, shared through Mobile County Sheriff, the girl told deputies she felt dizzy, and that conversation opened the door to the larger story of what had been happening at home.
That same store employee’s 911 call is now being credited with the teen’s rescue. Coverage of the case notes that the girl, who has Special needs, told responders that her stomach hurt and that she had been living in grim conditions back at the house. Those details, highlighted in a report on Child abuse and Neglect in Mobile County, show how a simple welfare check quickly escalated into a full-blown Rescue operation once deputies realized the scale of the alleged emotional abuse and filthy conditions described in Mobile County.
Inside the house: seven dogs, one dead, and a trail of charges
When deputies followed the teen back to the property, they found a scene that one report described as almost unlivable. Seven dogs were discovered on the premises, including one that was found dead inside a closet, with the remaining animals taken by Prichard Animal Control. The detail that Seven dogs were found, including the deceased one, is laid out in an account of how the animals were removed from the home and transferred to local authorities for care, as described in Seven.
Responding deputies also noted that the girl was suffering from dizziness and stomach pain, and She was taken to the hospital for treatment before being placed in the custody of child welfare officials. That medical response, along with the removal of the surviving dogs by Prichard Animal Control, is detailed in a report that tracks how Responding officers moved quickly once they saw the state of the home and the teen’s health, as outlined in Responding.
Tracking down the parents and the fallout in two states
Once the girl was safe, the focus shifted to finding the adults she said had left her behind. Officers eventually located the teenager’s parents, including Pertilla, and questioned them about why their daughter had been living alone in such conditions. During that interview, Pertilla allegedly told detectives that she and Medrano had moved to Florida for work, a detail that appears in a summary of how Officers pieced together the family’s movements and the timeline of the alleged abandonment, as reported in Officers.
The parents of a 14-year-old girl in Alabama were then charged with child abuse and animal cruelty after the teen was hospitalized and the animals were seized. That charging decision, tied directly to the filthy Alabama home and the teen’s medical issues, is laid out in a report that notes the case was handled by local investigators and the MCSO, as referenced in coverage of the Alabama case.
From Florida to jail, and what happens next
As the investigation unfolded, the story stretched across state lines. One account describes how Florida Parents Arrested After Abandoning Teen for Nearly a Year in Feces Covered Alabama House were taken into custody after Alabama Police coordinated with authorities where the couple had relocated. That cross-state effort, which underscores how seriously officials treated the allegations, is captured in a narrative that tracks how the case moved from the filthy house to a multi-agency response, as summarized in Florida Parents Arrested.
Back in Alabama, records show that Medrano was booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail, then later released on bond totaling $55,000. That figure, $55,000, is cited in an update that notes he was held at the Mobile County Metro Jail before posting bond and that the case is being coordinated with the Child Advocacy Center, as outlined in the UPDATE on his status.
A community left asking how this went on so long
Neighbors and readers alike are now grappling with how a child could live in such obvious distress for so long without anyone stepping in sooner. Reports note that Child lived alone with 7 dogs for nearly a year after her parents moved states and left her behind, and that she was eventually found standing in front of the store that became her lifeline. That detail, that the Child was in front of the Dollar General when help finally arrived, is captured in a narrative that shows how a routine day at a discount store turned into a life-changing moment for the teen, as described in Child.
For many, the most haunting part of the story is how close it came to ending very differently. When authorities arrived on Sunday, they found one of the dogs dead in a closet and a home covered in filth, details that underline just how dangerous the situation had become by the time anyone intervened. That scene, described in an account of how officers responded When they reached the property on Sunday, shows why the case is being held up as a textbook example of shocking neglect, as laid out in When. Another summary aimed at highlighting what people NEED to KNOW about the squalid Alabama home stresses that the girl’s ordeal only came to light because someone chose to pay attention and make a call, a reminder embedded in the broader rundown of the NEED to act when something feels off.
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