House of horror: the rat lovers of Pacific Palisades

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If you move to Pacific Palisades, and plunk down $1.8 million for a house, you might bump into Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Affleck or Jennifer Garner at the local Coffee Bean. You might also live next to a bizarre house inhabited by elderly twins and a huge collection of pet rats.

This is what happened to Scott and Liz Denham, and it’s the subject of a must-read story by Max Taves in L.A. Weekly that will make your skin crawl. It is billed as ‘a tale beyond belief.’

Taves: ‘(Denham’s) sweet old neighbor ladies, identical twins, had spent years fanatically feeding the Palisades’ rat population. Although the full dimensions of the environmental and health damage done by the peculiar pair are unknown, experts contacted by L.A. Weekly estimate that the ladies’ actions may have added tens of thousands, even 500,000, new rats to L.A.’s Westside.’

The story, in brief: 78-year-old twin sisters, Marjorie and Margaret Barthel, have allegedly been keeping hundreds of rats as pets for years. City officials have done little to address the huge infestation, and the story only came to light when the frightened and frantic Denhams -- parents of two young children -- gave up on complaining to government agencies, sued the sisters and told their story to L.A. Weekly.

This YouTube video, posted by Scott Denham, gives a flavor of living next door to a house of rats.

The Barthel twins did not comment for the story, but L.A. Weekly quotes from depositions they have given in the lawsuit. ‘Since 1958, we’ve had rats,’ Marjorie is quoted at one point. “If you’re afraid of a few rats, read the Book of Revelation,’ she says at another. A medical expert quoted by L.A. Weekly says he believes the sisters suffer from a form of hoarding known as ‘animal hoarding.’

As the Denham’s lawsuit progressed, L.A. Weekly reports, ‘the sisters hired American Pest Control to tent the house. A crew wearing face masks and hazmat suits emerged pale-faced and sober, as if they had just witnessed the aftermath of a biohazard spill — which, in a way, they had. Scott Denham says they hauled several large garbage bags heavy with dead rats from the bedrooms, kitchen, attic, basement and guesthouse, as the Denhams took photos.’

-- Peter Viles
Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com.
Hat tip: LA Observed
Photo: Los Angeles Times