Police: More Than 50 Dead Cats Found In Lawrenceville Home

LAWRENCEVILLE (KDKA) – According to humane officers, what went on inside a house in Lawrenceville goes back to April, when more than 40 living cats were removed.

Since then, officers have been investigating 67-year-old Marcia Dinardo and 59-year-old Thomas Crory. Both live at 177 45th Street.

Officers were back again Friday, finding conditions deplorable.

"We found what I believe to be more than 50 decomposing bodies of cats and kittens," Pittsburgh Police officer Christine Luffey said. "They were in the house, and they were also in the backyard."

Officer Luffey says the dead animals were in buckets, coffee cans, boxes and plastic bags.

"I noticed when I was walking through, my feet were squishing in the carpet, which was filled with urine and animal waste," she said.

Dinardo and Crory turned themselves in to police. They now face more than 50 counts of animal cruelty.

"Animal hoarding is a problem, and it's something we really need to address and do something about as a community," Luffey said. "If you're walking by your neighbor's house and you smell animal waste or high levels of ammonia, that's not normal. Report it."

Dinardo and Crory were taken to UPMC Mercy's psychiatric unit for an evaluation.

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