More Than 100 Animals Found in Woman’s Home

A woman was arrested after authorities found more than 100 dogs, cats, birds, goats and a duck in her small three-bedroom house.

Officials say they also found 13 dead dogs wrapped in towels in a freezer and refrigerator in Cynthia Walsh’s kitchen Wednesday.

Walsh, 56, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after sheriff’s deputies and Animal Services Department officers went to her Edna Valley home based on an anonymous complaint. She was released on $6,010 bail.

Walsh could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Animal Services Manager Eric Anderson described the conditions in the house as “defying anything imaginable.”

Authorities who entered the home wore hazardous-material suits and oxygen masks, said Det. Keith Scott, who was among eight sent to the scene.

“Even through the mask, the smell was horrific,” he said.

Authorities spent 10 hours collecting the animals, which were taken to the county shelter.

Officials said they did not know where Walsh got the animals or how long she had been keeping them. None had been adopted from Animal Services in recent years, Anderson said.

The dogs did not appear to be malnourished, but officials planned to examine them to determine their medical conditions, he said.