A 14-year-old girl was found to have been living alone in deplorable conditions for nearly a year after being abandoned by her family.
She was left behind in a dirty Alabama mobile home after her mother and stepfather moved to Florida for work, counting the days until they returned.
The couple is due to appear in court later this month in connection with the case.
Highlights
- A 14-year-old girl was found living alone for nearly a year after being abandoned by her mother and stepfather.
- The girl was rescued after a Dollar General employee spotted her alone in a weakened state.
- The mother claimed that her daughter chose to stay behind to live with her two service dogs.
Image credits: Mobile County Sheriff’s Office
Trigger warning: this article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some.
The girl, whose identity has not been released, was rescued this month after her weakened condition caught the attention of a Dollar General employee.
The concerned worker, Jessica Smitherman, said she saw the teen stumbling along a road in Mobile County.
Smitherman recalled seeing her months earlier with her younger brother, buying snacks at the store without their parents.
Image credits: Mobile County Sheriff’s Office
On January 4, the store employee approached the girl after noticing she was alone.
“She looked like she hadn’t had a bath in months, she had dog hair all over her clothes, she smelled very bad,” described Smitherman.
“I could definitely tell something was wrong so I sat her down in a chair outside the store and started asking her some questions, asking her if I can call her mom, if there was anything I can do. She ended up saying she wanted me to call the ambulance.”
Image credits: Mobile County Sheriff’s Office
The abandoned girl repeatedly told Smitherman that her stomach hurt and said she “passed out a lot.”
Authorities discovered that the girl’s mother, Marchelle Lynn Pertilla, and stepfather, Eugene Medrano, had moved to Pensacola, Florida, for work and left her behind.
Pertilla reportedly claimed the teen was left alone because she didn’t want to leave her two service dogs. According to the Mobile County Sheriff's office, the 14-year-old has special needs.
After hearing the girl’s cries for help, Smitherman and her co-workers called 911, and the teen was transferred to a local hospital.
At the hospital, the girl told detectives that she had been living alone since around her 14th birthday last February and had been allegedly homeschooled.
She also revealed that she had last seen her mother in October 2025 and had remained in contact with her through the social media app Snapchat.
Image credits: Mobile County Sheriff’s Office
The victim told authorities that she relied on her mother for food delivered via DoorDash or Walmart.
After obtaining a search warrant, detectives entered the trailer home on January 5. They found she had been living in extremely unhygienic conditions, with floors covered in trash, feces, and roaches.
Authorities also discovered a deceased dog inside a closet. Prichard Animal Control rescued six dogs that were alive inside the property. It remains unclear whether they were service animals.
Image credits: Mobile County Sheriff’s Office
In addition to the teen’s abhorrent living conditions, one of the most alarming discoveries during the search was a handwritten note found near her bed.
The note read: “How many times mom tells me that she can't pick me up!” with 87 dash marks filling the page. The letter was collected as evidence.
When detectives interviewed the girl’s mother and stepfather at the hospital, they reportedly downplayed the case and blamed her “unwillingness” to leave Alabama, as per WEAR.
Pertilla and Medrano were arrested on charges of child ab*se and several counts of animal cruelty and booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail.
Medrano was released from jail on January 9 on a bond totaling $55,000, while the girl’s mother remains in jail with a bond totaling $75,000, Fox10 reported.
Both have court appearances scheduled for January 27.
Two children who had been living with the couple in Florida have been removed from their care.
Image credits: Mobile County Metro Jail
The 14-year-old has been placed under the care of Alabama's DHR, which handles child welfare.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch questioned Pertilla’s claim that her daughter had voluntarily chosen to stay in Alabama with her service dogs.
“A 14-year-old doesn’t get to make that decision if you’re a parent. The parents should have stepped up and done the right thing,” he said.
“It's a horrific case. This is physical ab*se, but I would say it's more emotional ab*se, you know. For a child that age - because I have one not too much younger than that - I can't imagine the emotional part of just knowing your parents just leave you to fend for yourself.”
Image credits: Mobile County Metro Jail
Smitherman said she is heartbroken over the case but relieved that the girl has been rescued, adding that she wishes the minor had walked near her store sooner so she could have intervened earlier.
“I’m happy for her and I hope that she’s still young enough that she can get past this and still have a good life,” she expressed.
Burch explained that authorities are investigating whether any third parties were aware of the girl’s situation.
He also commended Smitherman for trusting her instincts and taking action when she sensed the victim was in danger.
“If you see something, say something. It could mean the difference between life and d*ath,” the sheriff said.
