A South Carolina mother of three remains in jail on a grocery list of criminal charges, including felony child abuse, child neglect, and animal cruelty. One veteran deputy sheriff on scene said he had “never seen anything like it in my 20 years doing this.”
It started Tuesday afternoon in Laurens County, South Carolina, when deputies were called to a mobile home, according to KCBD-in Lubbock, Texas. The call was about a 2 year old boy being unresponsive. What they found shocked them. The small child was not only unresponsive, but his face, neck and back were covered in bruises.
Lt. Scott Franklin of the Laurens County Sheriff’s Deptartment says the mother, 25-year-old Savannah Morgan, told them the child had choked on some potato chips. She later changed her story and started talking about how she had dropped him. At Greenville Memorial Hospital, Doctors told investigators that the boy may have been dropped, but his injuries were too severe and widespread for that to be the only cause of his injuries.
The child was airlifted to the hospital Tuesday evening and was in the intensive care unit. He is now reported to be breathing on his own.
Deputies found two other children, ages one and two, were living in the home. The trailer house was covered in trash, animal feces and in serious disrepair, KCBD reported. The children have been placed in the care of the Department of Social Services (DSS).
Morgan is 8 months pregnant with her fourth child. She offered no explanation to the dozens of dead or dying animals in the home. Animal Control removed two malnourished dogs to the county shelter. They also seized about 90 animals, including cats, dogs, rodents, reptiles, and tarantulas, Franklin said.
According to an incident report, deputies found six dead spiders, 10 dead pythons, and 48 dead rats among the other dead and living animals.
A judge in Laurens County set Morgan’s bond at $50,000 for child abuse to inflict great bodily injury, $10,000 for each child neglect charge, and a $5,000 bond on charges of animal cruelty.
The judge has ordered that Morgan have no contact with the children without DSS approval if she is released on bond. The judge also ordered that she not own any animal until the case is resolved.
Lt. Franklin said there is a likelihood of additional charges being filed. He said the father of the children is being cooperative in the investigation even though he could be charged as well.
Milford is a new contributor to Breitbart Texas. You can follow him on Facebook
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