Parents charged after moving away and leaving 14-year-old behind and alone for a year, cops say
A mother and a stepfather have been charged with child abuse after they allegedly moved to Florida but left their 14-year-old daughter home alone in Alabama for almost a year.
Officials from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said the teenager was left to share a mobile home with the family’s seven dogs. Investigators noted that the home was in deplorable condition. Urine and feces were found throughout the home as were roaches and trash, according to WALA.
One of the seven dogs was reportedly found dead in a closet, according to the investigators.
The girl’s parents were found living about an hour away in Pensacola, Florida.
Police first became aware of the situation on Sunday when workers at a Dollar General in the area noticed the 14-year-old stumbling around outside the store.
Deputies who responded to the scene evaluated the girl and found that she was suffering from dizziness and stomach pains. She was transported to the hospital for treatment.
During her hospital stay, the girl spoke with detectives about her situation. She said she’d been living alone in a mobile home since February, 2024.
She told deputies that her mother, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and her stepfather, Eugene Medrano, left her alone at the house after they moved to Pensacola. The girl said the last time she saw her parents was on Halloween.
Detectives asked the girl if she had any contact with her parents. She said she did, but primarily through Snapchat. When the teen needed food, her mother allegedly sent her DoorDash or Walmart deliveries.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office and Prichard Animal Control executed a search warrant at the girl’s house. Animal control found the seven dogs — including the animal that had died — and took the suriving ones into their care.
While searching the home, detectives allegedly found a handwritten note titled “How many times mom tells me that she can’t pick me up!”
The letter reportedly had 87 tally marks on it.
Investigators tracked down the parents and asked why they’d left the girl alone. Pertilla allegedly told police it was because the girl did not want to leave her service dogs and move to Pensacola. Whether or not the dogs actually are service animals is unclear.
Both Pertilla and Pedrano were charged with child abuse and animal cruelty. They were booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said the vigilance of the Dollar General employees may have saved the girl’s life.
“Thank goodness for the employee with Dollar General who contacted the county, and we were able to respond,” he said during a press briefing. “If you see something, say something. It could mean the difference between life or death.”
