19 Dead Animals Found at SW Philly Home

The Pennsylvania SPCA is investigating yet another animal hoarding case, this time in Southwest Philadelphia.

Officers arrived at a home on Wheeler Street Thursday afternoon after receiving a call from the Health Department.

The 82-year-old woman who owns the home was extremely upset as the officers arrived at her house with a search warrant.

The SPCA dug up 19 dead animals that were buried in the front yard.

They also rescued 20 cats and one dog inside the home. Officials say that all of the rescued animals are in poor and emaciated condition. Investigators say that three women live in the house. The women face multiple animal cruelty charges.

"One sister would go out and pick up dead animals on the highway and bring them back and bury them and the ones that died inside she would bury too," said George Bengal of the Pennsylvania SPCA.  "She scours the neighborhood looking for live and dead stray cats." 

Authorities say that the owner of the home has lived there for many years and recently lost her husband.

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"Those cats they're digging up are animals they buried because they found them dead on the sidewalks or on the street and the city doesn't pick them up," said Kevin Flanders, the woman's neighbor.

This is the second case of animal hoarding in Philadelphia this past week. Another case occurred in Northeast Philadelphia on Tuesday.

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