A 14-year-old girl with special needs was discovered living in horrific squalor in an Alabama mobile home after being abandoned by her parents for nearly a year. In a devastating testament to her ordeal, she kept a handwritten tally of the 87 times her mother told her she could not come to pick her up.
A Cry for Help at a Dollar General
The investigation began earlier this month when concerned employees at a Dollar General store in Mobile County spotted a teenage girl stumbling along a nearby road. Employee Jessica Smitherman recalled the girl and her younger brother, who had been occasional customers, but noted she had not seen them for months.
"She said that her stomach hurt," Smitherman told local news. "She kept saying her stomach was hurting, that she passes out a lot." The employee described the girl as appearing unwashed for months, covered in dog hair, and smelling very bad. Recognising a dire situation, Smitherman sat the disoriented girl down and called for an ambulance.
A Home of Filth and Heartbreak
After the girl was taken to hospital for treatment, she revealed to detectives she had been living alone since around her 14th birthday in February of the previous year. She stated her mother, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and stepfather, Eugene Medrano, had moved to Pensacola, Florida, an hour away, and she last saw them at Halloween.
Authorities obtained a search warrant and entered the single-wide trailer on 5 January. What they found was a scene of utter devastation. The home was filled with urine, faeces, cockroaches, and trash. Floors were coated in filth, a tub held dark brown water, and debris was strewn everywhere. In a closet, investigators discovered one dead dog. Prichard Animal Control rescued six other dogs from the property.
Near where the girl slept, they found the most poignant piece of evidence: a slightly torn, folded piece of lined paper. It was titled, "How many times mom tells me that she can't pick me up!" and was covered in more than 80 pencil marks, later confirmed to total 87 tallies.
Parents Arrested and Other Children Removed
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch described the case as "horrific." He stated, "This is physical abuse, but I would say it's more emotional abuse... For a child that age... I can't imagine the emotional part of just knowing your parents just leave you to fend for yourself."
When located in Florida, the parents allegedly downplayed the situation, blaming the teenager's supposed unwillingness to leave Alabama. Pertilla claimed her daughter stayed behind because she did not want to leave two service animals, though it is unclear if any dogs in the home were trained service dogs. Sheriff Burch countered, "A 14-year-old doesn’t get to make that decision if you’re a parent."
Both Pertilla and Medrano, who were employed in Pensacola, were arrested and charged with child abuse and multiple counts of animal cruelty. Following their detainment, investigators revealed that two other children living with the couple in Florida had been removed from their care.
The teenage girl is now in the care of the Department of Human Resources and is receiving the support she needs. Sheriff Burch praised the Dollar General employees for their intervention, urging the public: "If you see something, say something. It could mean the difference between life and death." The case remains under investigation.
