A South Carolina couple abandoned their teen daughter in a feces-ridden house with dozens of animals and corpses while vacationing in Florida.
At a Glance
- South Carolina couple Alicia and Justin Capps left their 17-year-old daughter alone in a squalid home during a Florida vacation
- Police found 39 live cats, 3 dogs, and several dead animals inside the residence
- Twenty more deceased cats were discovered stored in an unplugged freezer
- Both parents have been charged with child neglect and animal cruelty
- Their bond was set at $25,000 each following the May 27 discovery
Shocking Scene of Abandonment in Union
When officers responded to a call on May 27 at a home in Union, South Carolina, they expected a welfare check—what they found instead was a living nightmare. Inside the residence on Park Drive, a 17-year-old girl was found living among 39 cats, 3 dogs, and numerous dead animals, with feces strewn across the floors and decomposition creating a stench of rot.
Adding to the horror, law enforcement officers uncovered 20 deceased cats packed into a non-functional freezer outside the home. The teen’s parents—Alicia Marie Capps, 41, and Justin Bowen Capps, 34—were hundreds of miles away enjoying a Florida vacation while their daughter lived in filth.
Charges Filed, but Public Fury Grows
Officers were only permitted to enter the home after the girl contacted her mother, who refused to immediately return. The Capps were arrested and charged with three counts of ill treatment of animals and one count of unlawful neglect of a child.
Watch a report: Parents charged after leaving teen in filthy home.
Despite the grotesque nature of the case, both were released on $25,000 bond. Critics have called the bond amount lenient, given the severity of neglect and the psychological harm inflicted on their daughter. The charges reflect not just a legal breach, but a moral collapse emblematic of eroding parental responsibility.
Breakdown of Basic Human Duty
This isn’t just about filth and animal cruelty—it’s about a complete failure of basic familial obligation. For months, if not years, these parents ignored worsening conditions. Then, rather than seeking help, they opted for an out-of-state vacation.
Authorities have not disclosed the daughter’s current condition, but mental health professionals suggest long-term trauma is likely. The case highlights not just individual negligence but systemic societal failures—where no one, from neighbors to local officials, intervened soon enough.
The justice system must now decide whether abandoning a child in biohazardous filth for the sake of a Florida trip is a misdemeanor—or a manifestation of a deeper national crisis in parenting ethics.
