Animal House of Horrors Found in RVC

In a scene right out of a horror movie, 26 dead animals were discovered inside a Rockville Centre home late Friday afternoon after a foul smell emanating from the residence led local police to investigate, a village official said.

According to Village Spokesman Jeff Kluewer, 14 dogs and two cats were also rescued from the village home at 14 Montauk Ave. The animals who survived the house of horrors were found in cages, malnourished and severely neglected. Town of Hempstead Animal Control officers took the 16 animals to a town shelter to be cleaned and cared for.

When village police investigated the reported odor and made its way into the two-family Montauk Avenue home, the scene they encountered was horrific, Kluewer said. "They found 26 dead animals in various forms of decomposition, some still in the cage," he said. "Two of the dead dogs had muzzles still on the skeleton."

Six dogs, seven cats, five parrots, five ferrets and one lizard were among the dead animals found in the home.

Faith Ross, 54, and Francesca Maselli, 23, were arrested and each charged with three felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and 15 misdemeanor charges of overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, as well as failure to provide proper sustenance. If convicted of both crimes, the two women could spend up to three years in prison.

Kluewer said the women rented the home, but the house is currently deemed uninhabitable by the village's building department.

On  Wednesday, Town of Hempstead Animal Control officials   17 dogs and four other dead animals from another village home, but officials say the two cases are not related.

Ross and Maselli are being arraigned today at First District Court in Hempstead.