Police find 22 dead cats in woman’s home, including 14 in the freezer

MORGAN CITY, La. (TCN) — An elderly woman faces multiple charges after allegedly keeping multiple deceased animals in her home and freezer.

On the evening of March 13, the Morgan City Police Department responded to a home on McDermott Drive to perform a welfare check. Officers noticed multiple unattended perishable items near the front door that had been delivered over the previous days.

Police tried to make contact with anyone in the home, but no one answered the door, so they went to the back. Authorities observed an apparent dead cat inside the house, as well as a “strong odor coming from the residence.”

Officers spoke with the occupant of the house, 71-year-old Sheri Hite, and asked her about the deceased cat. Investigators entered the home and said it emitted an “unbearable odor,” and they discovered multiple dead cats.

Police executed a search warrant on March 14 and observed eight deceased cats in rooms and 14 others in the freezer. Authorities discovered one living cat and turned the pet over to animal rescue, while the deceased cats were sent for disposal.

Hite told officers she picked up the cats from the Baton Rouge area to care for them, and she “explained the frozen cats were kept to be later disposed of.”

Hite was arrested and charged with 23 counts of aggravated cruelty to animals. As of March 18, she’s been released from the Morgan City Jail.

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