Virginia police arrested a neglectful mom, who cared more about her 40 dogs than her child.
She kept her son locked up in an outdoor box trailer with little or no heat in the freezing winter weather, causing the boy to suffer frostbite that resulted in the amputation of his leg from the knee down, when he was discovered after a welfare check.
Police said that Rebecca Rubia Bremner, 32, had more than 40 dogs on her property that were healthy and well cared for.
The age of the child is unknown because the arrest documents are redacted.
The mom, Bremner was arrested last month and charged with one count of child abuse and neglect, a felony.
Michael Shikpark, 43, was also arrested on the same day and charged with the same crimes as Bremner for his involvement in the abuse of the boy. He was arrested in North Carolina and was awaiting extradition to Virginia.
On January 19, police got the 911 call alerting them about possible child abuse at a home in Castlewood, Virginia. Officers from the Sheriff’s office and the Animal Control Department responded and executed a search warrant at Bremner’s home.
Deputies from the Sheriff’s office brought in animal control officers to assist them because of the large number of dogs at the home.
According to the criminal complaint, police found the boy and transported him to a nearby hospital due to frostbite on his legs. The complaint said that officers noted the boy’s feet had turned black and had oozing yellow tissue. Unfortunately, medical personnel were unable to save the boy’s leg. They had to perform a below-the-knee amputation.
During interrogation, the boy’s mother admitted that she left the child at night in the outdoor trailer throughout the winter, but she said that the trailer had three heaters inside and that she gave the boy cereal for breakfast, honey buns as snacks, and his lunch or supper would be either spaghetti or burgers. There was a toilet in the trailer that was cleaned a couple of times a week, and the child was given a bath in a hot tub located outside in the freezing cold.
Bremner said the trailer did not have a window and could only be opened from the outside, so the boy was locked in when the door was shut. It is not disclosed why Bremner and her companion felt the need to lock the boy up outside the home at night.
Bremner failed to care for her son properly, but she fed and cared for over 40 dogs at her home, and even after her arrest, she refused to give up the animals and arranged for a relative to care for them.
Bremner is currently held without bond and will appear in court on February 10.