Biosecurity areas are closed to the public to reduce the risk of transmissions of infectious diseases.
While veterinarians said the scale of the abuse is the worst they’ve ever seen, police said it’s the biggest crime scene they’ve ever worked.
“This place is unbelievable,” Detective Sgt. Tony Cestodio of the Westport Police Department said. “There’s smells here that I never imagined I’d be smelling as a detective on the police department. It’s overwhelming. It will make you sick. There was one area here that I unfortunately walked by and it made me physically ill.”
Photos obtained exclusively by NBC 10 show dead animals, as well as other animals in poor conditions.
On Tuesday, police said they found 600 to 800 animals on the property, which is located on American Legion Highway. Police said two Rottweilers killed 18 goats on the property last week. When officers arrived, they found dozens of sick or dead animals.
Since then, the investigation has grown exponentially.
Thursday marked the third day that police were at the scene. Local, state, and federal authorities have been combing through 20 plots of land, encompassing more than 70 acres.
Authorities with the USDA were at the site, as many of the animals may have been sold as food.
Police are putting the blame on the Westport Board of Health.
But the Board of Health said they checked on the property in December.
“Looking at this now, (I don’t think they did a) great job,” Cestodio said.
NBC 10 spoke exclusively with officials from the Board of Health, who said the inspection turned up clean, and that it’s results are only turned over to the state anyhow.
“At this point, this board hasn’t even been notified of what’s going on, so we’re not sure what complaint they’re finding,” James Walsh, a Westport Senior Health Agent, said.
John J. Colletti, who is the chairman of the Westport Board of Health, shared similar sentiments.
“They don’t realize what the Board of Health does and what the Board of Health is responsible for at farms,” Colletti said.
But police aren’t buying it, saying the scale of wrongdoing is just too great.
Meanwhile, police said multiple people could be facing charges.
According to authorities, Richard Medeiros subdivides the property into 20 tenant farms. He declined to comment to NBC 10.
(Turn to 10 - July 21, 2016)
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