“Two Pennsylvania Parents Charged After Teen Son Found Living in Uninhabitable Home with 80 Animals: James and Kathleen Chaney Face Charges of Endangering Child’s Welfare and Animal Cruelty”

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Two Pennsylvania parents, James and Kathleen Chaney, have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child and several counts of animal cruelty after police and humane officers discovered their 14-year-old son living in an uninhabitable home with nearly 80 animals. The incident occurred in August when officers were called to the Chaney’s Westmoreland County home.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by HuffPost, the conditions in which the teenager was living were described as “deplorable.” Animal rescue workers were called to the scene and removed 46 dogs, 23 cats, five guinea pigs, a dove, a ferret, and a chinchilla from the property. Cassie Wilson, a volunteer humane officer with the nonprofit rescue group All but Furgotten, reported that she observed several animals, some missing fur, living in filth outside the Chaney’s home.

As Wilson approached the home, she discovered that the interior was coated in urine, feces, and fly traps filled with dead flies. The Chaneys’ son, identified as “LC,” was also present in the home. Wilson expressed her shock, stating that “everybody going in there was just in complete shock.”

When police officers and a child service caseworker arrived at the scene, they described the teenager as “nervous,” with disheveled hair and clothes that smelled strongly of urine and feces. Kathleen Chaney, the mother, confirmed that LC was her son and that he lived in the home. She and her husband, James Chaney, claimed to be caring for the animals on the property.

The police complaint detailed the horrific conditions inside the home, with each room covered in cobwebs, mold, and waste. The smell of urine was so overwhelming that one officer had to leave the premises multiple times before returning. The home lacked running water and safe food for the 14-year-old. Police also discovered a “rotting carcass” of a long-dead dog.

Jenn Johnson, president of the Ninth Life Rescue Center, who assisted in the rescue operation, reported that volunteers and officers found multiple dead animals inside the house. She described the scene as devastating, with feces and urine covering the entire house. Animals were found locked in cages in bedrooms, and there was even a deceased dog in the bathroom. Johnson remarked, “it was a rough day.”

The surviving dogs and cats were found to be suffering from serious medical conditions, with many lacking access to water and food. One dog had a needle stuck in its belly, while another had a ruptured uterus. The rescued animals were documented by the Ninth Life Rescue Center and have undergone medical treatment. Most of them have been adopted into new homes, but some are still undergoing surgeries and require ongoing support.

As of now, no attorney has been listed for the Chaney parents, and there is no record of them being booked or taken into custody. Large-scale animal rescue cases like this have become more common in recent years, making it increasingly challenging for nonprofits to provide immediate medical care. The rescue organizations involved in this case are still recovering financially from the incident months later..