By Dayo Ade Olusola |Crime|August 7, 2025
A Florida mother has been arrested after allegedly abandoning her teenage son for several weeks while she vacationed in Las Vegas, leaving the minor to fend for himself in a home authorities described as overrun with filth and neglected animals.
Jessica Copeland, 37, is facing one count of child neglect, three counts of animal cruelty, and four counts of animal confinement without food, according to court records from Putnam County.
Deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office were first called to the family’s home on Songbird Road in Palatka—a city about 45 miles east of Gainesville—for a welfare check. When they arrived, an unidentified adult answered the door and offered to bring out Copeland’s teenage son to speak with deputies.
“Oh, yeah, I’m cleaning up. I can grab the teenager so you can see he’s being taken care of,” the adult reportedly told deputies, according to local outlet WJXT. The teen appeared outside, spoke with the officers, and assured them everything was fine. At that time, deputies observed no immediate cause for concern.
However, a subsequent tip—this time with claims of animal abuse—prompted deputies to return to the home. What they found inside led to a disturbing chain of allegations.
According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, the teen admitted to being alone since July 21 while his mother vacationed in Las Vegas. He told deputies he had been surviving with the help of others who brought him food, saying he was not provided the proper necessities to live.
He reportedly warned deputies before they entered that the house was covered in dog faeces. Inside, deputies encountered a shocking scene involving seven neglected dogs and unsanitary living conditions.
The animals—identified by name as Onyx, Hera, Big Boy, Faye, Bella, Kitty, and Chase—were of various breeds, including two pit bull mixes, a Lab/Mastiff, two chihuahuas, a Chiweenie, and a black mouth cur. Some dogs were confined in areas of the home filled with faeces up to four inches deep.
“Entering the front door of the residence, I was met by multiple dogs in various poor conditions as well as the smell of faeces and urine,” the deputy wrote. “In the living room, I observed all walking areas to the other bedrooms encased in a thick layer of brown/white matter identified as animal faeces. On the floor, I observed multiple crockpot bowls filled with water with unknown insects floating and flying around the surface.”
The arrest affidavit details further descriptions of squalor and animal neglect, with some dogs labelled as emaciated or extremely emaciated, while others had no access to clean food or water.
When asked how long the home had been in such a state, the son allegedly told investigators it had been like that for years, claiming, “This is the way Jessica keeps the house and refuses to clean.”
Copeland was arrested and remains in the Putnam County Jail with a bond set at $25,000. A judge has since appointed her a public defender and issued a no-contact order as the investigation continues.
Authorities have not disclosed whether the child is now in state custody or with relatives. Animal control officers were reportedly involved in recovering the dogs, though their current condition was not immediately made public.
The case has raised significant concerns about long-term neglect and animal welfare, with further charges possible pending ongoing inquiries by local prosecutors and child protection services.
