Child Porn Suspect Kept 50 Dead Cats In Freezer: Police
A child porn suspect running a “cat house”?
Detectives executing a search warrant in a child pornography investigation reportedly discovered about 50 dead cats stored in the suspect’s freezers.
The alleged animal hoarding incident, unrelated to the search warrant, occurred in Lake Worth, Florida, in Palm Beach County.
According to Capt. David Walesky of Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, cops arresting the suspect at his home yesterday and who seized a computer as evidence in the original investigation “found about 50 dead cats in freezers as well as about 35 live cats,” the Palm Beach Post reported. “As workers removing the cats wore masks to combat the house’s stench, neighbors in the single-family home community… described a pattern of bizarre behavior by Westcott and said it was common to see cats running around the front and back yards of his home.”
Capt. Walesky added that some of the felines had respiratory infections or other illnesses and that “The living conditions were not acceptable for the animals.” He also said that “I do know that the bodies are spread among four separate freezers, which of course is the most unusual aspect of this.”
Litter boxes in the home were found to be overflowing with feces and urine.
The suspect, identified by multiple media outlets as Douglas Westcott, 55, faces three counts of child pornography, and was booked into Palm Bach County Jail. A judge denied him bond today.
Westcott reportedly refused to surrender any of the cats who survived the ordeal, the custody status of which will be the subject of a separate court hearing. Vets will be examining some of the frozen cats in an attempt to determine the cause of death, and will of course render care to those that survived.
It is as-yet undetermined if Palm Beach authorities will seek additional charges in connection with alleged animal cruelty.
The Sheriff’s Office described the investigation as active and ongoing.
#Exclusive #breaking Detectives find 50 dead cats in freezer, seize dozens of live ones in #LakeWorth @WPBF25News pic.twitter.com/Z2zNkTaYZQ
— Terri Parker (@wpbf_terri) September 10, 2014
Watch a local news report on the discovery of the 50 dead cats in the homeowner’s residence:
