ABINGDON, Illinois—
In a comfortable Abingdon neighborhood, nobody really knew what happened inside the house at 606 W. Monmouth Street."It's pretty sick," said neighbor Dale Schisler.
But a foul odor and barking dogs provided clues. It shocked neighbors, who couldn't believe the descriptions.
"I'm an animal person," continued Schisler. "I couldn't fathom having dead animals in the house."
When police responded to a domestic disturbance call Friday night, they were sickened by an assortment of living and dead cats and dogs. There was no motive. No explanation. And what a sight.
"We were finding them everywhere," said Abingdon Police Chief Fred Andrews. "And feces and flies. Just the stench. The stench was so bad that they could only stay in for five minutes at a time."
Police arrested Rebecca Geier, 28, on a variety of charges. They're looking for her husband, Michael Geier, 31. The couple's eight and 10 year old sons were placed into custody with relatives.
"How much damage have they done?" questioned neighbor Bill Day. "When you see dead animals laying on the floor, and the kids are sleeping in the beds. No."
After police removed at least half a dozen dead cats and dogs, there are still more dead animals inside -- including three live snakes. Officials were awaiting a court order on Tuesday to reenter the house.
Because one puppy suffered from highly infectious Parvo, the surviving animals had to be euthanized at the Knox County Humane Society.
Neighbors said that the Geiers lived in the house for a few years. They took in abandoned animals following the 2008 flood. And that raises plenty of questions.
"How did they die?" Day questioned. "Did they starve them to death? That just really gets me now."
Neighbors were familiar with trash and toys scattered about the house, but nobody expected to find a flea-infested biohazard inside.
"It doesn't set a very good example of what we could expect," said Hollis Palmer, Abingdon. "Not only in Abingdon, but anywhere."
