Animal cruelty cases against mother, daughter describe pets surrounded by feces and flies

A mother and daughter from New Bedford are at the center of three separate animal cruelty cases all tied to the same apartment where prosecutors say investigators found malnourished animals living among feces, urine and flies.

The case against Korina Ferreira

Korina Ferreira, 46, was convicted by a jury in New Bedford District Court on Monday for a 2020 animal cruelty case.

According to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, the investigation started in December 2020, when New Bedford Animal Control Officers were asked to do a welfare check at an apartment on Cedar Street. Both Ferreira and her daughter, 26-year-old Alexis Santin, were there.

Officers reported that when they arrived the apartment smelled like cat pee and they noticed flies all around the space.

Investigators ultimately discovered three dogs, thirteen cats and goldfish living in the apartment. Prosecutors described unsanitary conditions, feces all over the floor, including surrounding the dogs' food bowls. At the time officers were there, the cats were being kept in a small bedroom that smelled strongly of urine and was also full of feces. According to the DA, pictures showed that the cats' litter box was overflowing and they had begun to use their beds instead.

The three dogs, all American bulldogs, were severely malnourished, prosecutors said. The cats were flea-ridden and some had injuries from all the fleas.

Ferreira was convicted of two counts of animal cruelty and sentenced to two and half years at the Bristol County House of Corrections, with one year to serve and the balance suspended. She will also be on probation for five years and not allowed to own or work with animals.

“These animals were living in deplorable conditions and as a result, suffered extreme neglect that included lack of adequate food, water and care.  Many animals provide unconditional love and support to their owners, and to allow animals to live in these conditions is disgraceful,” District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a statement.

Two cases against Alexis Santin

The same day Ferreira was convicted, Santin, who was already facing a 2023 animal cruelty case tied to the same apartment, was arrested and charged with 39 counts in yet another investigation. The latest case concerns the conditions of animals found in the Cedar Street apartment after a report from a veterinarian who was concerned about potential neglect of a dog brought in for care.

On Monday, investigators executed a search warrant and found seven dogs in the apartment, all with "some form of emaciation, mutilation and low weight," some stuck in feces-filled crates. Prosecutors said investigators also found two more dogs in Santin's car, hiding in clutter. Investigators also noted they found as well as five geckos, some dead, in a terrarium without heat, food or water and a bird in the apartment.

Santin was already out on bail for a separate case after a fight between dogs in her care in 2023. Officers were called to the apartment for a report of a dog attack. Santin said one of her dogs attacked another when its muzzle came off, and when she tried to break it up, the dog attacked her. Santin told investigators as she was being attacked, she reoved the muzzle from the other dog to protect herself.

The officers that responded to that call reported similar conditions as described in the other two cases - this time finding dogs, rabbits and a cat living in the apartment surrounded by feces and other unsanitary, neglectful conditions.

Prosecutors had requested Santin's bail be revoked so she could be held for up to 90 days. Instead, Santin was released with strict conditions that she must not possess or care for any animals, must surrender all animals to Animal Control within two days, can no longer live at the Cedar Street apartment, must report to probation once a week, must attend mental health evaluation and counseling, and may receive unannounced visits from probation. She is next scheduled to appear in court on March 27.

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