80 dead animals found at home, three S.C. women arrested, police say

(CBS/WBTW) LAURENS, S.C.--A South Carolina mother and her two daughters have been arrested and charged with animal cruelty after police said they found more than 80 dead animals on the premise of their rental home on Thursday, according to CBS affiliate WBTW.

PICTURES: Crimes against Animals (GRAPHIC IMAGES)

Police said 58-year-old Rebecca Keith, 33-year-old Amanda Keith and 31-year-old Sara Keith have been charged with ill treatment of animals and failure to bury animals properly, reported the station.

Authorities found dogs, cats, birds and baby deer wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator, the freezer and various other locations throughout the home, said WBTW.

One woman who was living in the house told the station that the electricity had been cut off "for a long time."

Lieutenant Judy Stiles of the local sheriff's office, said some of the animals had been dead since October of 2012, when the Keiths moved into their rental home. There were a couple of living dogs roaming the property when police arrived. There were also two sickly-looking horses which were sent directly to a local rescue farm, reported WBTW.

Jason English owns the property that the Keith family rented. He told the station that police arrived on the property to serve an eviction notice when they smelled a stench.

"My nightmares have nightmares about what we saw," English told WBTW.

"There were dead animals in trash bags, a cat's carcass visible in a refrigerator with other plastic bags and food items, feces were strewn across the bathroom, flies and maggots and inhabited the freezer and the carcasses of other animals were still in pots and bowls in the yard," according to the WBTW reporter who took a tour of the premises.

"I guess you could say they're like family," Amanda Keith told WBTW. "We didn't want to leave them behind. We've already had to leave so many behind."

The Keiths also told the station that there were only 20 dead animals found on their property.

In 2006, according to WBTW, the three women were cited for animal cruelty after their home burned down and police seized dozens of dogs from their property.

Each of the Keith women was released from the Johnson Dentention Center on $5,000 bond.