A homeless Deltona woman was charged with animal cruelty after four cats were found dead in the vehicle she used as her home, Volusia County deputies said.
Priscilla Marcial, 56, was charged with four counts of animal cruelty and was being held in jail on Wednesday on $10,000 bail.
Deputies were called to the parking lot of the Honest 1 Car Care business at 3125 Howland Blvd. in Deltona on Tuesday after a worker there found the dead cats, a report states.
The employee, Maria Izquierdo, was familiar with Marcial, as she had come there a week ago to ask for help with her car. Marcial got a jump for her battery and left, deputies said.
On Wednesday, the car was seen in the parking lot and around 1 p.m., another worker alerted Izquierdo of a foul smell coming from the car, investigators said.
Deputies said Deltona animal control officials removed four dead cats — two animals in each of two crates — found in the back seat of the vehicle. Officials said the cats had been dead for more than two days, possibly weeks, the report said.
Kevin Emswiler, manager of a nearby car wash business, told deputies Marcial was a local transient who would park her vehicle at different churches in the area until church employees would ask her to leave, the report states.
About two weeks ago Marcial was asked to leave the the property of a church located at Howland Boulevard and Red Fox Run but Marcial's vehicle was not running, Emswiler said and Marcial came in for service.
While working on the car at the time, Emswiler saw several cats in cat carriers in back seat of the vehicle. Emswiler said there was a horrific odor coming out of the vehicle and the cats appeared malnourished. He put water near the crates and the cats "attacked the water, like it had been days since they drank anything," the report detailed.
Marical was not present when the dead cats were discovered but all her personal belongings were in the vehicle. Despite the putrid smell, it appeared Marcial had been living in the vehicle for quite some time, deputies said.
Marcial was later located walking along the 2800 block of Howland Boulevard. When asked about the dead cats and whether she knew what happened, Marical said she didn't want t o answer any questions but wanted to go see her animals, deputies said.
Marcial was brought to the car where she refused to answer questions and said her cats were fine. When told that the animals were dead, Marcial responded "then they killed them, the car place killed them," deputies wrote in their report.
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