In Alabama, authorities recently arrested a woman and a man after discovering a 14-year-old girl living alone in distressing conditions with seven dogs. The incident was reported by the state’s law enforcement.

Marchelle Pertilla, aged 43, and Eugene Medrano, aged 52, are facing charges that include one count each of child abuse and aggravated animal cruelty, as detailed by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, Pertilla is accused of six counts of second-degree cruelty to dogs, while Medrano faces five similar charges.

The situation came to light on January 4th when an employee from a Dollar General store in Mobile noticed the girl stumbling along Jarrett Road. The 14-year-old, who complained of stomach pain and dizziness, was assisted by the store employee, who then notified the sheriff’s office.

Subsequently, the girl was transported to a nearby hospital for a medical evaluation, as noted in a release from the sheriff’s office shared by Mobile-based CBS affiliate WKRG. At the hospital, she was interviewed by deputies and child advocacy staff.

The girl reportedly revealed that she had been residing alone in a mobile home in Alabama since February 2025. She last saw her mother, Pertilla, and her stepfather, Medrano, on October 31, 2025.

As the investigation continued, deputies determined the girl was not entirely uncared for; her mother allegedly sent her food and supplies by way of DoorDash and Walmart deliveries.

Inside the trailer, however, investigators found a vast depth of filth – and one of the aforementioned dogs dead in a closet, deputies said. Investigators surveying the residence said they found it littered with urine, feces, insects, trash, and various other bits of miscellany.

As it turned out, the couple had been living and working in Pensacola, Florida, all the while, the girl told authorities.

Eventually, Pertilla and Medrano arrived at the hospital where the girl was kept under observation. They spoke with detectives before being arrested on the multiple charges against them.

“When asked why their daughter was left alone, the mother stated the juvenile did not want to leave her service animals,” the sheriff’s office said in the news release about the incident.

As for those seven dogs: Three were living outside, three were living inside, and one was dead in the closet.

“We are continuing to search for answers on why this young girl was living alone and whether or not others tried calling law enforcement,” Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said in comments reported by Tampa, Florida-based NBC affiliate WFLA. “Thank goodness for the employee with Dollar General who contacted the county.”

Deputies said they also found a harrowing handwritten note in the child’s sleeping area entitled: “How many times mom tells me that she can’t pick me up.” That note is said to have had 87 dash marks.

“Which would lead one to believe that at least 87 occasions she wanted her mom to come back up,” Burch mused in comments to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based ABC affiliate WHTM. “And she didn’t.”

The sheriff said the girl and her mother primarily communicated through Snapchat and that she was putatively homeschooled, in comments to Pensacola, Florida-based NBC affiliate WEAR.

“This is physical abuse, but I would say it’s more emotional abuse, you know,” Burch said. “For a child that age – because I have one not too much younger than that – I can’t imagine the emotional part of just knowing your parents just leave you to fend for yourself.”

Since the couple were arrested last weekend, two other children have been removed from their Pensacola residence, the sheriff said.

“It’s a horrific case,” Burch added. “It’s another example of a parent not being a parent.”