A Florida woman is in custody after allegedly abandoning her teenage child and seven dogs in what authorities described as “vile living conditions” while she spent two weeks vacationing in Las Vegas.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), Jessica Copeland, 37, was arrested Tuesday on charges of child and animal neglect following multiple calls from concerned family members.
The first call came Monday from an out-of-state relative requesting a welfare check on a teenager in Palatka, Florida. Deputies arrived to find an adult outside the home claiming he was “cleaning” before Copeland’s return. The teen came out and told deputies “there were no issues and everything was fine,” leading officers to leave.
Later that same day, another family member contacted the PCSO, saying he had video evidence of dogs in the home being abused. In the footage, authorities said, three dogs appeared “severely emaciated.” This relative also claimed the house lacked food and running water—information not mentioned in the earlier call.
Deputies returned to the home with an agriculture detective, where the teen allowed them inside. The previous adult was gone.
Inside, investigators reported finding “vile living conditions,” including layers of animal feces, garbage, and debris throughout the house. Multiple emaciated dogs had no food or water. The teen said Copeland left on July 21 for Las Vegas and that “different people would come to the house to check on him and bring him food.” The child’s age was not disclosed.
In total, deputies found seven dogs. Two were locked in a bedroom with about four inches of feces and no food or water. A third, severely emaciated dog was in a cage without food or water. Four more were in the living room amid feces, with water bowls containing insects.
The teen told authorities the home had been in this state for years because Copeland “refused to clean it.”
Putnam County Sheriff H.D. DeLoach called the case “both heartbreaking and infuriating.”
“A mother made the conscious choice to abandon her own child in a filth-ridden home, surrounded by the stench of animal feces and suffering of neglected animals while she indulged on a two-week birthday trip to Las Vegas,” DeLoach said. “This wasn’t neglect. This was deliberate cruelty, both to her child and to the animals she left behind.”
On Tuesday morning, deputies were at the residence assisting animal control in removing the dogs when Copeland returned. She was arrested on the spot.
Bodycam footage showed her offering no resistance as deputies informed her that her home was “deplorable” and her animals were near starvation. She was handcuffed and taken into custody.
Her charges include one count of child neglect, three counts of felony animal neglect, and four counts of misdemeanor animal neglect. Her bond is set at $36,000.
“The dogs were voluntarily surrendered to the county and will be available for adoption once rehabilitated,” the sheriff’s office said.
