Woman is arrested after child is found in home surrounded by RATS

Florida woman, 38, is arrested after young child is found in home surrounded by 300 RATS, cockroaches and blood stains from where a cat had killed one of the rodents

• Shannon Marie Morgan, 38, was arrested Wednesday night after Citrus County sheriff’s deputies found a young child living in deplorable conditions 
• Authorities say they were ‘overwhelmed’ by the smell of ammonia at her Beverly Hills home and found a ‘build up’ of feces, trash and rotten food
• Deputies later found rodents roaming around the house freely, before stumbling upon a young child in one bedroom covered in trash
• Morgan is facing 12 counts of animal cruelty and neglect charges, and is being held on a $26,000 bond

A Florida woman has been arrested after sheriff’s deputies found a young child in her home surrounded by over 300 rats and other insects living in disgusting conditions.

Citrus County sheriff’s deputies said they first responded to Shannon Marie Morgan’s Beverly Hills home to investigate an animal cruelty complaint Wednesday night.

Once they arrived at the scene, deputies said they immediately became ‘overwhelmed’ by the smell of ammonia and found a ‘build up’ of feces, trash and rotten food — which created an infestation of flies and cockroaches.

Deputies later found reptiles and rodents and cages, as well as cats roaming around freely chasing down the hordes of rodents, before they stumbled upon the young child in a bedroom covered in trash.

Morgan, 38, is now facing 12 counts of animal cruelty and child neglect charges. and is being held on a $26,000 bond as animal control officers work to clear the home.

It is unclear whether she has retained an attorney to speak on her behalf. 

Shannon Marie Morgan, 38, was arrested on Wednesday after sheriff’s deputies found a young child in her home surrounded by over 300 rats and other insects living in disgusting conditions

Video posted online showed dozens of rats inside a cage scurrying up the walls

Other scenes posted by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office showed rats roaming around the Beverly Hills, Florida home freely

Videos and photos from the scene show dozens of rats in cages, climbing up the walls and running around the home freely.

Authorities say they also found several small reptiles in cages and aquariums, including a large snake.

One room was even home to 50 rats, with more than 300 running around freely, while a second bedroom was home to a ferret in a feces-filled cage and a dog found inside a crate that authorities say was ‘entirely too small.’

None of the animals had food or water in their cages, with sheriff’s deputies writing on Facebook: ‘It was blatantly obvious: These animals were deprived of all their basic necessities.’

The young child was finally found in a third bedroom authorities say was ‘filled with trash,’ where even the mattress was covered with roaches while the floor was blood stained from where one of the cats killed a rat.

Animal control officers will return to the Beverly Hills home (pictured) to retrieve the other animals from the scene

One bedroom was filled with cages of rodents and small reptiles, including a snake

‘Abuse of any kind should not be tolerated,’ Sheriff Mike Prendergast said in a statement, adding: ‘The conditions of this residence and the animals in this case were so bad, Sheriff’s Office personnel were cautioned about making entry.’

‘Neither children nor animals should ever endure this type of environment,’ he said. ‘It is crucial that our citizens report any possible signs of child or animal neglect.’

Animal control officers have now removed seven cats, one dog, and one ferret from the home as authorities continue to investigate the living conditions at the home.

Documents obtained by DailyMail.com show Morgan had previously defaulted on her mortgage payments for the single-story house, and it was listed as under sale by the sheriff’s office in July.

Animal control officers are now scheduled to return to the Beverly Hills house at a later date to remove all of the other animals.

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