Man, 96, found living in filthy home with some 700 rats
A Southern California woman is in custody after deputies discovered her 96-year-old father and multiple pets living in a home stinking of feces and infested with up to 700 rats, authorities said Tuesday.
Catherine Ann Vandermaesen, 65, was arrested on suspicion of felony elder abuse and misdemeanor animal neglect, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. She was in custody and couldn’t be reached for comment.
Vandermaesen didn’t want to allow deputies inside the home during a welfare check last Wednesday in Ojai, the statement said. A sheriff’s task force returned the next day and encountered multiple pets and urine and feces throughout the residence, authorities said. The home was also filled with garbage, according to the release.
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