Neglected pets found in home of pair charged in son's death

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

VERENA DOBNIK

NEW YORK (AP) — An animal advocate says the upstate New York home of a couple charged with beating their sons — one fatally — was filled with the feces and urine of at least a dozen family pets.

Kimberly Strong told The Associated Press on Sunday that two members of the Word of Life Christian Church now under arrest left behind a filthy, garbage-strewn house in Clayville, New York.

Strong says she alerted authorities who entered the home and found four dogs, three birds and at least a handful of cats that had been seemingly neglected over time. Some dogs were caged.

The story first appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bc431ff90c1c4177bec658ab67c0760b/neglected-pets-found-home-pair-charged-sons-death

[LiberalArkie]

1. Some awfully sick people.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Why on earth would either or both of their sons want to leave that paradise, anyway?

The church had planned for them to live there forever, no doubt.

[jwirr]

3. It seems to me that prison just might be an improvement to

their lifestyle.

[Mnemosyne]

4. I've never seen a "handful" of cats. Must be painful... nt

[glinda]

5. Do you ever notice how many of these stories focus on the

"humans" and rarely do they ever say the fate of the animals.....ugh.....

[eilen]

6. I'm not surprised, the whole thing gets more sad as more information comes out

The church is like a cult. There is a guy my dh knows who is related to the mother of the family and was attending the church along with them for a time, just to be with family I guess but had not formally joined. The church demanded they hand over financials. He was all "hell no!" and then the family shunned him and his wife/kids.

According to someone that was at the church (and I don't know if this is ass-covering-- I am skeptical of this story)... the brothers were accused of molesting a young child and the church was exacting their punishment-- basically told them we can turn you over to the authorities or you can confess and take your punishment here.

Which might explain why the mother didn't intervene? It is a very bizarre case. irt to the animals-- animal hoarding is not really that uncommon, esp. in rural areas.