Two people have been charged with animal cruelty and endangering the welfare of a child after police found a 9-year-old living in a New Jersey house alongside 30 dead dogs, authorities said. Rebeccah Halbach, 35, and Brandon Leconey, 32, were arrested after Evesham police on Monday attended the property to investigate a report of suspected animal cruelty. At the house, officers found animals and the child being kept in “despicable conditions.” “There’s dogs in cages. Live dogs in cages, dead dogs in cages. Dead animals throughout the house,” Evesham Township Police Chief Walt Miller said. Officers said that as many as 100 dogs may have died at the home. Another 14 living dogs were found, nine of which required treatment and one had to be euthanized. Police say an animal rescue, Tender Mercies Pet Organization, was paying Halbach and Leconey to foster dogs and care for them, but the couple were instead letting the animals starve to death. The child found at the home was removed and is now in the care of the New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency.
