House of Horrors: 2 children with bite marks found in filthy Nevada home with 34 dogs
WASHOE COUNTY, NEVADA: Police on February 1, 2022, arrested and charged two Nevada women with child abuse after discovering a "house of horrors". A welfare check led authorities to find two children in "deplorable living conditions and with nearly three dozen dogs." The children are now living with relatives under short-term emergency care measures, police confirmed.
The horrifying discovery is one of many police have made in recent months. As the pandemic has accelerated, the number of neglected children in homes has increased. In late December, Katelynn Schengeli and Cory Evans were arrested when a 911 call by their eldest child led the police to find four children, including an infant, covered in feces inside an "extremely dirty" residence, in Tyler, Texas. In October, Gloria Williams and Brian Coulter were arrested after three kids were discovered living with the rotting corpse of their brother. Before that, in March 2020, an alcoholic mother of six was charged for forcing her kids to live in a garbage-filled house lined with feces.
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A similar situation was discovered by the Washoe County Sheriff's Office when they raided the Lemmon Valley home of Lindsay Arnold and her friend Christa Garcia. Arnold's two children were forced to live in the feces-caked, trash-laden house, along with around 34 dogs.
Nevada's house of horrors
Police reportedly responded to a welfare check on Arnold's two children, aged seven and nine, when they discovered the horrifying state of affairs. Living in the three-bedroom sublet, the two children shared a bedroom with around 18 dogs. In another room, Arnold and Garcia lived with 15 dogs, and a third room was occupied by an "uninvolved third party." When police raided the home, they reportedly found the children with multiple dogs bites and scratches, both new and old.
The two children were also forced to share a deflated air mattress that was "covered in dog feces." Police also noted, "The entire basement floor was covered with clothing, trash, and animal feces." The children were immediately removed and placed with family but authorities were not able to provide any clarity about the long-term plans for the two. Likewise, the 34 dogs, all of varying breeds, were removed and placed in a shelter.
The 29-year-old Arnold has been charged with two felony counts of 'child abuse, neglect, or endangerment'. Garcia, 46, has been slapped with two gross misdemeanor counts of 'child abuse, neglect, or endangerment'. Washoe County Regional Animal Services has confirmed it has opened an animal hoarding investigation but has so far held off adding animal abuse charges.
If convicted, Arnold faces up to 20 years in state prison, while Garica could face a year in jail or up to $2,000 in fines. It's unclear who blew the whistle on the two and prompted the welfare check. It's also unclear who the third person was, and if they have been arrested or investigated. MEAWW was unable to access jail records, so it is not clear if the two have been bailed out, or are still being held at the Washoe County Detention Facility.