A 14-year-old girl was found living alone with seven dogs in a filthy trailer outside Mobile after her mother and stepfather moved to Pensacola, Florida, months earlier, investigators said this week. The case surfaced Jan. 4 when a store worker called 911 about a distressed teen, leading deputies to a home where one dog was dead and others roamed amid trash, feces and insects.
Mobile County sheriff’s investigators said the teen told them she had been on her own since early 2025 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 food deliveries. Both were arrested on child abuse charges and booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail; investigators also cited animal cruelty after a dead dog was found in a closet and six more were seized by animal control. The teenager was taken to a hospital for dizziness and stomach pain and is now in protective care while authorities sort out where she will live.
Deputies said the case began when an employee at a Dollar General along U.S. 45 flagged down authorities about a girl stumbling near the store on the morning of Jan. 4. Responders located the teen and transported her to a hospital. From there, detectives interviewed her about where she lived and who was responsible. A day later, investigators executed a search warrant at a mobile home off Jarrett Road in the Eight Mile community, where they documented rooms covered in urine and feces, a bathtub filled with brown water and heavy roach activity. “It was abhorrent,” a sheriff’s official said in a briefing. Prichard Animal Control removed six living dogs; a seventh was found dead inside a closet. The sheriff’s office credited the store worker’s quick call for bringing the situation to light.
According to investigators, the girl said she stayed in Alabama because she did not want to abandon her dogs, which she described as service animals. Deputies said communication with her mother consisted mainly of messages on Snapchat and delivery orders through apps to drop off groceries. Detectives said they also found a handwritten note in the trailer that logged dozens of missed pickups by the mother, tallying scores of times the teen said she expected to be collected but was not. The trailer, which sits among a cluster of older units and sheds, had limited food on hand when deputies searched it, according to an evidence summary reviewed by reporters. Officials said they were still determining how often neighbors saw the teen and whether anyone else had access to the property.
Authorities identified the adults as Pertilla and Medrano, who, according to the sheriff’s office, live and work in Pensacola, about an hour’s drive east along the Gulf Coast. After questioning, both were arrested on child abuse counts and taken to the county jail. Investigators said additional animal-cruelty counts were being considered in consultation with prosecutors after the discovery of the dead dog and the condition of the home. Court records listing attorneys for the pair were not immediately available, and a bond hearing was expected after booking. The sheriff’s office said it would share any charging documents once they are filed by the district attorney.
Neighbors told deputies they seldom saw activity at the trailer beyond barking; one man said he assumed the family had moved. The sheriff’s office said the teen reported being homeschooled previously, and investigators were reviewing school records to verify attendance and enrollment status. The girl’s hospital evaluation noted dehydration and gastrointestinal issues, according to officials briefed on the case. A child welfare caseworker said the teen appeared alert and cooperative but “tired” after months of managing on her own. Animal control officers described the surviving dogs as underweight but stable after initial exams at a shelter.
Cases of long-term child abandonment periodically surface along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere, but investigators said the length of time and the presence of multiple animals made this file unusual. The trailer park sits north of Mobile’s city limits, where county deputies handle patrols. Officials said the Eight Mile residence showed signs of intermittent electrical use and app-based deliveries, suggesting some support from afar but not daily care. Detectives were also tracing DoorDash and Walmart orders to confirm who paid for what, and when, as they built a timeline between February and the Halloween cutoff the teen described. The agency said forensic technicians photographed rooms and collected samples to document living conditions for prosecutors.
Child welfare officials placed the teen in protective custody and launched a separate assessment to determine her placement and any services she may need. The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office said it would review investigative reports for potential felony counts under Alabama’s child abuse and endangerment statutes, with animal cruelty charges handled in parallel. A judge will consider bond and any no-contact orders once the couple has an initial appearance. Investigators also planned to subpoena social media logs and delivery records and to interview the Dollar General employee who made the initial call.
Outside the store where the call originated, employees taped a small thank-you note to the front counter for the coworker who spoke up. “She did exactly what we hope people will do when something doesn’t look right,” a sheriff’s captain said, adding that the case underscores how routine tips can lead to lifesaving checks. At the trailer site, caution tape still ringed the steps as animal control officers loaded kennels into a van. A county crew hauled trash from the driveway as deputies cataloged items left inside, including notebooks and a calendar pinned above a small desk. In the afternoon, a patrol car idled by the entrance while a mechanic worked on a gate that no longer latched.
As of Sunday, the teen remained in protective care while prosecutors reviewed the file for formal charges. The sheriff’s office said it expects to release an update on the case and any court dates early this week once paperwork is finalized.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.