On July 10, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office deputies went to 8424 E. Haines Court in Floral City to conduct a well-being check on renters Nancy Lee Freeman, 74, and her 41-year-old daughter Katherine after a cremation society couldn’t get in touch with them to deliver the remains of their dog, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
Deputies did not find the Freemans, who don’t have a hometown listed, but instead found over 30 animals on the 5-acre property — some dead, many emaciated and without food or water.
“It started as a well-being check (on the Freemans),” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Heather Yates said at a press conference Wednesday. “Now we’re checking on the well-being of the animals.”
Animal control officers with the sheriff’s office managed to rescue four dogs, 13 cats and a turtle from inside the house. Outside were four horses — one a retired thoroughbred racing horse and direct descendant of Triple Crown winner Secretariat — five rabbits and eight goats able to be saved. The horses and goats were surviving on rainwater alone.
A dead horse was found decaying in a stall with 10 rabbits caged alongside it, five of them dead.
Investigators also found a stolen car and horse trailer out of Arkansas. A tote bag inside the home, smelling of rot, contained the liquefied remains of several dogs. Dead cats were found in garbage bags, and it’s claimed a pair of horses were buried on the property.
“To show up on scene and find animals dead, it makes you angry and it’s very disappointing,” Animal Control Officer Terry Funderburk said Wednesday.
The home was also left in tatters, with over $30,000 worth of damage done to the residence after the Freemans’ two-year stay, Yates said.
After authorities discovered the grisly scene on Haines Court, their attention turned to finding the Freemans.
Neighbors, who Funderburk said “seemed oblivious” to what was going on, told investigators the Freemans were very private, and advised them to check the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa because Nancy Freeman had cancer.
Citrus County authorities initially believed Nancy Freeman’s illness may resulted in the animal’s abandonment, but the grim truth soon became clear.
Victims from outside Florida had created a private Facebook page accusing the Freemans of swindling their way through three states under numerous aliases while neglecting animals on rented property they would later destroy and abandon with thousands of dollars in rent still owed — the same scene investigators found in Floral City.
“Whether it’s intentional or not, it’s the same story over and over again,” Deputy Michele Tewell said Wednesday about investigating complaints into the Freemans’ activities. Tewell said she followed leads to six other places across Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas.
“A lot of them were in shock,” Tewell said of those who had dealings with the Freemans. “When I said their first name, they knew exactly who they were.”
Tewell said the Freemans would use Nancy Freeman’s legitimate cancer diagnosis and other means to befriend and then swindle people out of property, services, and animals, running up tabs that would never be paid.
“They play on peoples’ emotions,” Tewell said.
In Woodford County, Ky., the pair ran up an equine-hospital tab of over $20,000 for the treatment of two horses. They also owed thousands in Citrus and Hernando counties in Florida, according to the release.
When getting wind of a possible arrest warrant or civil suits from angry renters, the Freemans would flee in the middle of the night with expired driver licenses to start again with new aliases, leaving malnourished or dead animals in their wake.
In 2011 in Dyer, Tennessee, a neighbor called in to report the possible neglect of 13 horses on the Freemans’ property, five of which were already dead. Warrants were issued for the pair’s arrest on animal-cruelty charges, but they had already left for Arkansas.
In 2005 — the first reported instance of animal abuse by the mother in daughter — the Freemans, posing as the Nygaards, were arrested on animal-cruelty charges in Fayette County, Ky.
Katherine was convicted, but her mother was acquitted. It’s possible she was able to exert influence as a retired instructor in the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at Murray State University, Tewell said.
When asked Wednesday how a teacher of nursing could commit these acts, Citrus County Sheriff’s Animal Control Supervisor Lora Peckham said “it’s baffling.”
With assistance from victims, Citrus and Hillsborough County authorities managed to track down and arrest the Freemans on Sept. 2 at a hotel in Hillsborough County. They are facing two counts of felony animal-cruelty and grand-theft charges. Peckham said more charges may follow.
“They didn’t just break a law by neglecting animals,” Peckham said. “These people are con artists.”
Tewell said she has not spoken to either the mother or daughter, and cannot say what motivated the duo.
Tewell added the Freemans will not be extradited on the out-of-state warrants for their arrests on various charges due to those charges being misdemeanors.
Peckham said none of the animals rescued in Floral City — most of which are thought to have been acquired from nearby rescue shelters — were euthanized, and almost all have been adopted.
“This took a long time,” Yates said about the case. “Hopefully this will be the end.”
Below is a timeline of the women’s crimes put together by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office:
2005 – Fayette County, Kentucky
Nancy and Katherine were charged with animal cruelty in Fayette County, Kentucky. Katherine was convicted and Nancy was acquitted.
2009 – Mt Vernon, Kentucky
The Freeman’s leased a horse farm outside Mt. Vernon and another farm in Stanford. They had 28 to 32 horses between both farms. There was never any water or feed at the barn. The property owner/neighbor buried many horses after they left. They then rented a trailer in Stanford. Here they left dead dogs, cats and horses on the property, as well as 7 to 8 horses buried there. They left the place destroyed.
2010 – Woodford County, Kentucky
An animal cruelty case was conducted by Woodford County Animal Control.Multiple horses were uncared for. They fled Woodford in middle of the night, owing Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital $21,205 for the treatment of 2 horses; they only made a payment of $500.00 and $10.00. They also owed Tri-City Small Animal Clinic $141.
2011 – Dyer, Tennessee
The Freeman’s were renting property again. A neighbor called the property owner regarding thirteen horses left on the property. A feed store received custody of the horses, five of which died due to the neglect they had experienced. Warrants were issued for animal cruelty, however, the pair fled in the middle of the night and the warrants were never served. The property owner filed a lawsuit against the Freemans for back rent and damages, however, the Freemans were not there to be served.
2012 – Bigelow, Arkansas
Again, the Freemans fled this location in the middle of the night. They destroyed a home and left owing money to the owner for rent and a feed store. They abandoned three horses, a dog and cats and owe $5,000 in boarding fees.
2012/2013 – Lonoke, Arkansas
The Freemans rented at 6505 Mt. Tabor Rd. and fled in the middle of the night again. The property was so destroyed the owner sold the property after they fled. They stole a horse trailer in Jefferson County and asked to test drive a vehicle and drove off. This is the horse trailer and vehicle that were found on the Floral City property.
2013-2015 — Floral City, Florida
Owes McFarland Feed $900 in Inverness, owes MWM Lawn Care $1,000, owes Ranch Hand Feed Store in Brooksville.
(Chronicle Online - Sept 9, 2015)
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