Three children were given to a relative after they were found in a Clayton County home with feces, urine and garbage on the inside and three decomposed dogs on the outside, police said.
An adult dog was in such a “severely decomposed state,” police believe the pet had been dead for as many as 50 days.
Authorities made the discovery Sunday afternoon after getting a tip from a concerned citizen, police Sgt. Ashanti Marbury told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
Animal control officials learned there was at least one dead dog in a cage at a home in the 5800 block of Whitney Way in Rex, Marbury said.
An officer went to the home about 1:50 p.m. and found the dead adult dog in one part of the backyard and two dead puppies in a cage in another part of the backyard. The puppies, between six and eight months old, had been dead for more than 48 hours. A preliminary investigation revealed they had been starved, Marbury said.
“They were described by the Animal Control Officer to be have been covered with so many fleas that it was hard to determine what color they were,” she said.
While interviewing a couple at the residence, a detective detected a foul stench coming from inside the home. The detective entered the residence and noticed “all floor surfaces were filthy and littered with feces and urine,” she said.
“Clothing was strewn all over in rooms and bags filled with garbage were throughout the home.”
The detective learned the couple had three children, ages 3, 7 and 10, in the home.
The Clayton County Division of Family and Children Services removed the children from the home.
Ki-Kito Riki Townsend, 33, and Kristina Leigh Prince, 32, were arrested, each on three counts of cruelty to children in the first degree and three counts of animal cruelty, Marbury said.
