Westport police have seen cases of animal cruelty but “not as bad as this,” said Detective Sgt. Antonio J. Cestodio. “They had abandoned the house and it was absolutely disgusting.”
Police said they arrested Nicole Botelho, 45, with a current address of 481 Briggs Road in Westport and her estranged husband Stephen Botelho, 52, 68 Anthony Ave., Swansea on Oct. 13. They were arraigned in Fall River Wednesday on six counts of animal cruelty. A 17-year-old juvenile relative was summonsed to court for the same six criminal charges, police said.
Police and Animal Control Officer Donna Lambert responded to 644 Sanford Road on Sept. 25 to look for several cats that were thought to live there, after Nicole Botelho called about a flea infestation. Instead, they said they found a stinking house in deplorable condition, the floors covered with feces, fleas and large amounts of wet and dry clutter.
Boston Animal Rescue League and a forensic veterinarian consultant responded to what police said was “a severe case of animal cruelty” and found two dead American Eskimo dogs, one in a trash bag and another lying in a closet with a partially consumed paperback book in its mouth. A bearded dragon was also found dead in a filthy terrarium in a bedroom, police said.
Some of the animals might have been saved if police had responded earlier, according to Cestodio, who said they suspect at least one of the dogs had been dead for a long time.
“The smell was overpowering,” Cestodio said. “The house was so bad we didn’t let anyone else in.”
Malnutrition, starvation and dehydration are among the most painful methods of animal cruelty, said an animal consultant who assisted investigators.
Investigators did not find adequate food or water for the animals in the abandoned house. They estimated one of the dogs was about 12 years old and the other about 6, police said.
The dog in the closet had a choke chain on that had moved to its midsection. It had such a bad infestation of fleas that officers initially thought the dog was breathing and alive, Cestodio said.
The dog was initially hidden from view due to piles of garbage bags stacked high inside the bedroom. But the smell of the decaying animal quickly led investigators to the body, police said.
Investigators found a cat litter box in one of the bedrooms that was overflowing with cat feces. They saw a broken cellar window and wet paw prints in the basement caused by a leaky water pipe. It was believed the cats were transient, entering and exiting the basement time to time, police said.
The kitchen floor area was almost entirely covered with decaying animal feces and household trash.
The stench inside was overwhelming to investigators even with protective equipment and face masks on. When one of them took off the white suit, it was found to be crawling with fleas, Cestodio said.
The town's Board of Health responded to the scene and deemed the house unfit for human or animal habitation and have ordered a clean up, he said.
Health officials did not return a call for comment but housing websites noted it is a two-bedroom single family house, built in 1952. It is valued at $212,300, according to the assessor’s database.
Cestodio urged residents to notify police if they observe any signs of animal abuse.
“If you think something like this is happening ... please contact your animal control officers. They can help these animals before they die,” he said. “It’s terrible. Hopefully people will call before it gets to this.”
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