A 14-year-old girl in Alabama was pulled from a nightmare that sounds almost too grim to be real: left on her own in a filthy house, surrounded by dogs and the stench of waste, while her mother and stepfather allegedly started a new life in another state. Investigators say the teen’s mom, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and stepdad, Eugene Medrano, are now facing criminal charges after authorities discovered the conditions their daughter had been living in. The case has quickly become a stark example of how neglect can hide in plain sight until one small moment, and one concerned stranger, finally cracks it open.
According to law enforcement, the teen had been largely fending for herself for months before anyone realized how bad things were. By the time deputies walked into the house, they were not just dealing with a child in distress, but with a scene that officers describe as unfit for any person or animal.
The teen’s quiet struggle in a house of filth
Investigators in MOBILE COUNTY, Ala say the girl had been living alone for nearly a year after her mother and stepfather moved away, leaving her behind in a home caked in animal waste and trash. The child, identified only as a juvenile, reportedly told Officials that Marchelle Lynn Pertilla and Eugene Medrano had relocated to Florida for work, leaving her to manage the house and the animals on her own. Authorities say the property in Alabama was so filthy that animal control officers were called in to deal with the conditions inside.
Deputies later detailed that the juvenile had been surviving in a home shared with multiple dogs, with floors reportedly soaked in urine and covered in feces. In a broader summary of the case, law enforcement in MOBILE COUNTY, Ala, cited by WKRC, said the girl had been left to navigate these conditions as she approached another birthday, with no parent in the home to provide basic care or supervision.
A store employee, a 911 call, and a shocking rescue
The turning point came not inside the house, but outside a local Dollar General, where the teen finally crossed paths with someone who noticed she was in trouble. The Mobile County Sheriff, in a statement about the response to the Dollar General in Eight Mile, said deputies were called on a Sunday after a store worker dialed 911 about a girl who appeared unwell and alone. According to that statement, shared through Mobile County Sheriff, the girl told deputies she felt dizzy, and that conversation opened the door to the larger story of what had been happening at home…