LEE COUNTY, Fla. —
A North Fort Myers woman is facing dozens of animal cruelty charges after deputies said they found 30 neglected dogs, one dead dog, and a man with a mental disability living in unsanitary conditions inside a home.
On Monday, Lee County deputies responded to a home along Sabal Gardens Drive for suspected animal hoarding and a dead dog outside the residence.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, deputies immediately caught a whiff of an odor of decomposition coming from a kennel in front of the garage, and they found a deceased dog in it.
Inside the home, deputies uncovered some more disturbing sights. LCSO said deputies found the odor to be so severe that they had to wear gas masks and protective equipment to safely enter the residence. The deputies found dogs confined to overcrowded kennels surrounded by feces and urine.
According to LCSO, six puppies were in one kennel covered in what appeared to be their own feces. The home reportedly didn’t have functioning air conditioning, lacked running water, had limited ventilation, and the dogs didn’t have adequate drinking water.
Several of the dogs were significantly underweight, and others showed signs of untreated injuries, LCSO said.
Deputies removed 30 dogs and the one deceased dog from the home with the help of Lee County Domestic Animal Services.
According to LCSO, investigators also found a man with a mental disability who lived in the home with his parents and noticed numerous possible flea bites covering his body. Deputies said the homeowner, Mary Paulis, 68, was his caregiver and left him unattended.
LCSO’s Special Victims Unit responded to further investigate, and detectives stated that the man’s room was covered in trash and didn’t have a bed in it.
Paulis was detained and is now facing 31 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and neglect of a disabled adult.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.