A couple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested after two children were found living alongside several dead animals in a home kept in “deplorable” conditions.
The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed in a press release that the FBI executed “court-authorized law enforcement activities” at a home on Whittaker Avenue around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7.
As police entered the home, officers claimed that “the property was unsafe due to deplorable living conditions.”
Authorities found an 8-month-old baby and a 5-year-old child inside of the home and they were “transported to a local hospital for evaluation,” according to the press release.
Their current conditions have not yet been shared.
Megan Bach was arrested at the scene, and her husband, Thomas Bach, was arrested later that day when he arrived home. Both Megan, 44, and Thomas, 43, have been charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, criminal conspiracy, possession of an instrument of crime (PIC) and possession of an offensive weapon (POW).
In light of their arrests, Megan and Thomas were identified as the children’s parents, according to ABC 6.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
The Pennsylvania SPCA Animal Law Enforcement Team said that 38 cats and a dog were removed from the home at the time of the arrest. “FBI, while executing an unrelated search warrant at the property, discovered the home to be unsanitary and housing multiple animals,” the PSPCA’s Animal Law Enforcement Team said in a press release, according to People.
“The interior of the residence was found to be filled with an overabundance of belongings as well as feces, urine, and empty food bags and boxes, with several cats observed throughout the property,” the press release continued.
Pennsylvania SPCA ALE officers worked alongside ACCT Philly and “spent hours onsite working to safely capture and remove animals from the home.”
The Animal Law Enforcement Team added that there are still additional cats remaining on the property and they set up humane traps to capture them safely.
“All animals removed from the property were transported to the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Philadelphia headquarters, where they will undergo forensic examinations and receive any necessary medical care,” the organization stated.
The animals will remain in custody until the Bachs’ case is adjudicated in court, per the release.
Megan and Thomas are currently in custody as they await their respective preliminary hearings. It is not currently clear if either Megan and Thomas have retained legal counsel or entered pleas.
