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Case #5552 Rating: 4.0 out of 5
Hoarding - 30 cats seized, 11 found dead
Marlborough, MA (US)Incident Date: Thursday, Mar 31, 2005
County: Middlesex
Disposition: Convicted
Defendant/Suspect: Marilyn Blythe
Case Updates: 2 update(s) available
A city resident whose condominium was condemned this spring after officials discovered a dozen dead cats, 30 live ones and one African grey parrot, has been charged with animal cruelty.
Marilyn Blythe, 58, of 17 Bowstring Way, was arraigned on Sept 13 in Marlborough District Court on two counts of animal cruelty by custodian and one count of animal cruelty.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed the criminal complaints after recently finishing its investigation.
Blythe, a pediatric nurse, is charged with failure to provide a sanitary environment to 31 cats and one African grey parrot, subjecting 31 cats to unnecessary suffering and failure to provide medical care to one cat.
She was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court on Oct. 12 for a pretrial hearing.
Blythe is being represented by attorney Adam Kretowicz.
The city's Board of Health inspected the condo in April after a neighbor complained of an offensive odor emanating from Blythe's home and witnessed the cat population increase. James Starbard, the city's assistant sanitarian, contacted the MSPCA.
In the report, MSPCA Officer Zita Macinanti said Blythe admitted her home was in poor shape and that she was willing to allow the MSPCA into her home to remove the cats.
"Upon entering the home, I was overwhelmed by the powerful stench of cat feces and urine," Macinanti said in the report. "I had to wear a respirator mask in order to continue to inspect the premises."
The house had green trash bags filled with debris, which Starbard said Blythe used to collect and remove debris as ordered by the Board of Health.
Bath tubs were full of cat feces with no area of the floor void of feces or other debris, Macinanti reported.
"Cats were seen throughout the house as well as in the basement," she wrote. "In the master bedroom, there were some cats in ferret type cages; there was also a cage that contained an African grey parrot. There were many flying insects present in and around these cages."
MSPCA officials also found several dead cats in various stages of decomposition, including skeletal remains. A skull was found at the entrance to the closet in the master bedroom, the report said. A letter from Serpro, the company hired by Blythe to remove the debris, said the remains of 11 cats were found.
"The remains appeared to be both adult and kittens from their size and appearance with six bodies pulled from the spare bedroom, one from the master bedroom, three from the computer room and one from the living room," according to the letter.
All animals were surrendered to the MSPCA and taken to the organization's Methuen shelter.
The shelter manager said all the cats were emaciated, Macinanti said in her report.
In April, the Board of Health determined the home was "unfit for human habitation...large amounts of cat waste and carcasses present."
Finding the building condition unsafe, Building Commissioner Stephen Reid sent a letter to Blythe in June giving her a month to either demolish the home or hire professionals to provide evidence and a documented program that the home can be repaired.
Reid has said Blythe hired highly-qualified professionals. A structural engineer's report said a there is a considerable amount of work that would have to be done, but the house could be saved.
In November 2004, animal cruelty became a felony. Until Nov. 17, animal cruelty had been considered a misdemeanor. Now, violations of this law may result in a sentence of up to five years in a state prison, or up to two and a half years in a county jail and/or a fine of up to $2,500.
Case UpdatesA biological hazards consultant for Marilyn Blythe recommended her 17 Bowstring Way home be demolished or significantly taken apart and repaired because of the high concentration of mold.
Blythe's home was condemned in April after officials found a dozen decomposed cats and 30 live ones inside.
Last month, Blythe, a pediatric nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, pleaded guilty to two counts of animal cruelty in Marlborough District Court. Judge Thomas Sullivan dropped a third count of animal cruelty and continued Blythe's plea without a finding for one year on the condition she remain in therapy and not own or live in a place that has animals.
In July, Blythe hired high-quality professionals to determine the condition of her condominium.
"I've spoken with Ms. Blythe's consultant, and he informed me last week that the mold situation has progressed to a significant level in the house," said Building Inspector Stephen Reid. "There isn't much left in the house that doesn't have some sort of mold."
The consultant is speaking with Blythe about whether she wants to hire people to demolish and rebuild or sell the property to a contractor, Reid said. The consultant said he would have a final answer sometime after Thanksgiving.
"It seems to be the general consensus that so many things are wrong it would be very labor intensive to pick (the condo) apart," Reid said.
The three-bedroom detached condo, assessed at $319,200 according to city records, has significantly dropped in value.
"Essentially, all you have there is a piece of property with a contaminated home," Reid said. "It is worth a little more than the land value."
The Board of Health inspected the premises in April after a neighbor complained of an offensive odor emanating from Blythe's home and noticed an increase in the cat population. James Starbard, the city's assistant sanitarian, contacted the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
When officials inspected the home, they found no indication of working water or sewer, the heating system and duct work were inoperable and not salvageable and the plumbing and natural gas pipes were corroded.
In a report, MSPCA Officer Zita Macinanti said officials found several dead cats in various stages of decomposition, including skeletal remains as well as live cats living in ferret-type cages.
She also said there was not an area of the floor void of cat feces and other debris.
During her court hearing, Blythe's attorney Adam Kretowicz said several events in her life compounded her mental state including the death of her best friend from cancer and travel back and forth to Georgia to take care of her elderly mother.
Kretowicz had said Blythe planned to head back to Georgia after her condominium was fixed up and sold.
She has been living in a Framingham motel since her home was condemned. | Source: MetroWest Daily News - Nov 23, 2005
Update posted on Nov 27, 2005 - 7:06PM |
Marilyn Blythe, the city resident whose home was condemned this spring after officials found a dozen decomposed cats and 30 live ones, pleaded guilty yesterday to two counts of animal cruelty.
Blythe, 58, of 17 Bowstring Way, was charged with failing to provide a sanitary environment to 31 cats and one African grey parrot, subjecting 31 cats to unnecessary suffering and failing to provide medical care to one cat.
Marlborough District Court Judge Thomas Sullivan dropped a third count of animal cruelty, and continued Blythe's plea without a finding for a year on the condition she remain in therapy and not own or live in a place that has animals.
Sullivan's judgment allows Blythe to continue her job as a nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where she has worked for 37 years, according to her lawyer, Adam Kretowicz.
Kretowicz said his client was put on administrative leave when the hospital first found out about Blythe's situation. After an evaluation, however, she was reinstated. Blythe suffers from depression, profound grief and sleep deprivation, but is now in counseling and on medication for the illnesses, Kretowicz said.
Prosecutor Steve Phillips requested Blythe be found guilty and given a year's probation.
"We believe this is a serious matter -- not an unfortunate episode of one particular animal," Philips said.
Marlborough's Board of Health inspected the home in April after a neighbor complained of an offensive odor and witnessed the cat population increase. James Starbard, the city's assistant sanitarian, contacted the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
In a report, MSPCA Officer Zita Macinanti said Blythe admitted her home was in poor shape and that she was willing to allow the MSPCA into her home to remove the cats.
When entering the home, Macinanti stated she had to wear a respirator mask because of the stench of cat feces and urine. Bath tubs were full of cat feces and no area of the floor was void of feces and other debris, the report said. [continue]
Some cats were in ferret-type cages and one cage had a African grey parrot, Macinanti said in her report.
MSPCA officials also found several dead cats in various stages of decomposition, including skeletal remains.
Kretowicz said Blythe had previously been in counseling and on medication, but not during the last couple of years.
Several events in her life also compounded her mental state, he said. Blythe had been traveling back and forth to Georgia to take care of her elderly mother and her best friend, who was battling cancer. Her friend has since died, Kretowicz said. Blythe has also battled cancer, he said.
Kretowicz said cats entered Blythe's basement through openings in the building's siding. Due to her schedule and traveling to Georgia, Blythe at first did not know about the cats entering her home, he said.
"She had no intention of letting this get out of hand -- no intention of harming animals," he said.
"She is embarrassed. Although her life has been turned upside down and she's living at a motel, she's continued to work."
In Blythe's evaluation, the counselor diagnosed Blythe as having an anxiety condition that allowed her to function at her job but not at home, Kretowicz said.
If Blythe violates the judge's conditions and is found guilty, Kretowicz said she would lose all her nursing licenses. She is licensed in New York, Georgia and Massachusetts.
He said she plans on fixing up and selling her home and moving to Georgia. | Source: MetroWest Daily News - Oct 13, 2005
Update posted on Oct 13, 2005 - 7:24PM |
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