A 14-year-old girl was found living alone with seven dogs in a squalid trailer outside Mobile after her mother and stepfather moved to Florida months earlier, deputies said this week. The case came to light Jan. 4 when a store employee flagged down authorities about a distressed teen; investigators later arrested the adults on child abuse counts and seized the animals, including one found dead in a closet, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said the teen told them she had been by herself in the Eight Mile community since early last year and had not seen her mother, identified as Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, or her stepfather, Eugene Medrano, since Oct. 31. Detectives said the couple communicated with the girl through Snapchat and arranged occasional grocery deliveries while living and working in Pensacola, Fla. The sheriff’s office described the trailer as “abhorrent,” with floors coated in feces and urine, roach activity throughout and limited food on hand. The girl was treated at a hospital for dizziness and stomach pain and then placed in protective care while investigators documented conditions and collected evidence.
According to a timeline shared by officials, the case began the morning of Jan. 4 when a Dollar General worker along U.S. 45 reported a young person stumbling near the store. Responders located the teen and transported her for evaluation. From the hospital, detectives interviewed her about where she lived and who was responsible. The next day, investigators executed a search warrant at a mobile home off Jarrett Road in Eight Mile, where animal control officers removed six living dogs and documented a seventh deceased in a closet. Photos taken by technicians showed trash piled in corners, a bathtub filled with brown water and insects inside a refrigerator, according to an evidence summary described by authorities.
The teen told deputies she stayed because she did not want to abandon the dogs, which she described to investigators as service animals. Detectives said communication with her mother consisted mainly of messages on Snapchat and delivery orders through apps to drop off groceries. Inside the trailer, investigators said they found a handwritten note titled with a tally of missed pickups—dozens of hash marks the girl said tracked instances when her mother promised to collect her and did not. An initial inventory by deputies noted limited fresh food and signs of intermittent power use. Neighbors told authorities they rarely saw people enter or leave in recent months, beyond barking from inside.
Officials identified the adults as Pertilla and Medrano, who, according to deputies, live in Pensacola, about an hour’s drive east. After questioning, both were booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail on child abuse charges; investigators said additional animal-cruelty counts were being considered after the discovery of the dead dog and the home’s condition. Court records listing attorneys for the pair were not immediately available, and a bond hearing was expected after booking. The sheriff’s office said charging documents would be filed with the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office once reports and photos were compiled for prosecutors.
Authorities said the teen reported being homeschooled and out of regular contact with peers. Investigators were reviewing school records to verify enrollment and attendance and working to confirm whether any welfare checks had been requested earlier in the year. The hospital evaluation noted dehydration and gastrointestinal issues, officials said. Animal control officers described the surviving dogs as underweight but stable after initial exams at a shelter. Deputies said they were still tracing purchases made through delivery apps and interviewing drivers who dropped off food to build a clearer picture of how the teen got by in the months after her caretakers left Alabama.
Residents of the small trailer park told deputies they assumed the family had moved and that barking was the only sign of activity. A neighbor described seeing lights on sporadically and a metal bowl placed outside the steps some mornings. One man said he thought the unit was vacant until patrol cars arrived. Inside, forensic technicians photographed rooms, collected samples and documented utility hookups. Investigators also canvassed the area for camera footage from nearby businesses and homes that might show comings and goings at the property between February and late October.
Cases of prolonged child abandonment surface periodically along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere, but deputies said the length of time and number of animals made this file unusual. The Eight Mile area sits just north of Mobile’s city limits, where county deputies patrol and animal control from the city of Prichard often assists. Officials said the location—older units tucked among pines and sheds—complicated quick checks by neighbors who might not realize a child was inside. The sheriff’s office credited the Dollar General employee’s call for accelerating the rescue and said the worker’s quick judgment likely prevented the teen’s condition from worsening.
Detectives outlined the next steps: finalize interviews with the adults; subpoena Snapchat and delivery app records; and reconcile the teen’s statements with receipts and bank charges to establish the timeline between early 2025 and Halloween, the date she said was the last in-person contact. Investigators will forward the case to prosecutors for charging decisions that could include felony child abuse and misdemeanor or felony animal cruelty, depending on autopsy results for the deceased dog and veterinary findings for the survivors. A judge is expected to consider bond, no-contact orders and any requirements for mental-health evaluations at the first court appearance.
At the sheriff’s office, officials said they were coordinating with child welfare to determine the girl’s placement and services, including counseling. Caseworkers planned to interview extended family and assess whether relatives could safely take her in. Animal control staff began the process of holding the dogs pending court decisions about custody. The sheriff’s office said it would also review any prior calls for service at the address or nearby to see whether opportunities to intervene were missed earlier in the year.
Outside the Dollar General where the call originated, coworkers taped a note on the counter thanking the colleague who spoke up. At the trailer, animal control officers loaded wire kennels into a van while deputies stretched yellow tape across the steps. A county crew later hauled away bags of trash from the driveway as technicians cataloged notebooks, calendars and a small desk with a pinned schedule. In the afternoon, a patrol car idled at the entrance while a maintenance worker replaced a broken latch on the park’s gate.
As of Monday, the teen remained in protective custody while prosecutors reviewed reports for formal charges. Deputies said a public update on court dates and any additional counts was expected once the district attorney completes an initial review and returns the file with decisions on how to proceed.
Author note: Last updated January 13, 2026.