Ga. sisters arrested after police find 31 dying cats in hotel room, report says

(CBS) SNELLVILLE, Ga. - Georgia sisters Leah and Elisha Waller were arrested on Wednesday and charged with animal cruelty and exploitation of a disabled adult after authorities found 31 dying cats and a teen with cerebral palsy in their hotel room, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported.

Snellville police said that when they came upon the sisters' room in Crestwood Suites, located about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta, they found a 19-year-old boy with cerebral palsy amongst cats with upper respiratory infections, open sores, and hair missing, according to the paper.

The young man, who is Leah Waller's son, has been taken in by his uncle. Police have filed a report with the Department of Family and Child Services, newspaper reported.

"While staying in the hotel room, the defendants would usually leave him by himself with the room in deplorable conditions," Snelville Police Det. Orlando Concepcion told the paper.

The paper said that at least six of the cats were pregnant and 29 of the 31 had to be euthanized because of the condition they were in.

Det. Concepcion told the paper that, "The smell was overwhelming." The sisters allegedly tried to hide the cats in the bathroom, which was full of feces, diapers and dirty clothes, when animal control officers knocked on their door.

The scene was all too familiar to authorities who responded to the Waller home about two months ago to find two extremely ill dogs, feces lining the home's floors and trash in the backyard, reported the Gwinnet Daily Post.

The sisters were arrested on April 25 and released on bond, said the paper. This time, the suspects are being held without bond.