Chandler animal abuse investigation: Suspect's mother talks about so-called 'house of horrors'

CHANDLER, Ariz. - For the first time, the mother of a Chandler woman under investigation for animal and adult abuse is telling her story.

Kathleen McLaughlin is the mother of April McLaughlin, the owner of a rescue named Special Needs Animal Welfare League (SNAWL), which was run out of a home near Cooper Road and Pecos Road.

April is allegedly connected with an animal abuse incident that began to unfold following an outcry on social media.

While all of her abuse charges were dropped, an investigation revealed that police had been called for a welfare check months earlier. There are five different Chandler Police reports alleging animal or elder abuse stemming back to 2019.

What happened with the animal abuse investigation?

According to Chandler Police, various rescue groups and individuals sent special needs dogs to SNAWL. However, since Aug. 8, 2023, there has been an increase in calls related to allegations of animal cruelty at April's home.

In addition, officials said people began to question the welfare of the animals, as April failed to provide updates on the dogs.

According to court documents, unsuccessful attempts were made to get some of the dogs back by various animal welfare groups. On Sept. 9, there was an attempt by officials with the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) to check on the animals.

"Upon arrival, AHS noticed an odor of urine and feces near the front door, and noticed a large cluster of flies near the front door," read a portion of the court documents. "AHS was able to see into the backyard, and observed disabled and fully mobile dogs."

Court documents included the description of various dogs in various degrees of declined physical state or neglect.

Chandler Police went to April's home on Sept. 22 to serve a search warrant. Court documents state that officials found 55 dogs inside the home that were in need of immediate medical attention. The bodies of five dogs were also found at the home.

On Sept. 26, officials with the Arizona Humane Society said five of the 55 dogs found had to be euthanized.

"These dogs were suffering horrifically. If a microchip is present, we will contact the last known rescue group to return the ashes," read a portion of the statement.

In a twist, however, charges related to the incident were dropped, according to officials with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, as the case has been sent back to Chandler Police for further review.

Read More: Charges dropped against Arizona animal abuse suspect: Here's what to know

Did investigators make any other discoveries?

Besides the dozens of dogs found, court documents state that April's mother was also found inside the home.

The woman, whose identity was redacted from court documents, was sitting on a couch and watching TV when crews arrived at the scene.

As mentioned above, we now know the woman's name is Kathleen McLaughlin. Court documents also allege that the woman's Social Security payments were used to pay the home's mortgage, as well as groceries.

"During our conversation, I asked her about the living with [the suspect]," the Family Crimes Unit detective wrote, in court documents. "The victim stated, 'I'd be better if I had more food.'"

Once again, it should be noted that all charges related to the incident were dropped by prosecutors, and the case has been sent back to Chandler Police for further review.

April's mother speaks out

The last time Kathleen spoke with her daughter was on the morning of Sept. 22, hours prior to April's arrest.

Kathleen, 79, moved to Arizona from Texas after her husband's passing, and trusted April to care for her. She said she is relieved to be out of that home.

Kathleen reportedly lived at the home for three years, seemingly hidden. According to her, April couldn’t stop bringing in dogs.

"Well apparently, she began to get an awful lot of more dogs," said Kathleen. "The two bedrooms were full of dogs, so we weren’t able to sleep there. She had some in the backyard, and she bought tents for shade, and it became obvious that the terrific heat wave wasn’t conducive to their comfort, so she’d have to bring them into the garage."

AHS officials said April had 63 dogs in her home at one point.

As for Kathleen, she slept on the couch, the home's toilet didn’t work, and she had to relieve herself outside. Also, the idea of eating a home cooked meal did not exist.

"One week at a time, she’d buy a bag of apples," Kathleen said. "I'd have an apple for lunch, and I really didn’t feel like eating very much."

Kathleen had suffered a stroke some time prior to the present day, and several months ago, she regained her speech. She said April physically abused her twice, and also threatened to kick her out.

"She threatened me a couple of times," said Kathleen. "If I complained, she'd pack me in the car and drop me off some place."

"She would just dump you somewhere? That’s what she said?" Kathleen was asked.

"Yeah, because I was too much trouble," Kathleen replied.

In June, Kathleen said April took her to the library, and that’s when she took a chance to tell staff she was being mistreated. Officials with Adult Protective Services got involved, and called Chandler Police to do a welfare check.

The case, however, was closed after the officer said that according to Kathleen, she was not in danger.

"Why did you change your story, indicating that nothing was wrong?" we asked Kathleen.

"Well, if I didn’t live there, I wondered what would happen to me? Where would I live?" Kathleen replied.

"Were there any other welfare checks done by [Adult Protective Services], or was this the only time?" we asked Kathleen. "The only time that you went and told someone something was wrong, because you weren’t in the public at all."

"No, not at all. Ever," said Kathleen. "She said ‘well, the next time we go, I’ll be with you when you look for books.’"

"Do you feel betrayed by her?" we asked Kathleen.

"I don’t think she’s on the plane where she thinks about me at all. I think she’s only concerned about keeping the dogs. She enjoys the dogs. She likes the dogs. They’re a source of income," Kathleen replied.

"What has given you the strength today to talk about all this?" we asked Kathleen.

"I couldn’t tell you. Just talking the truth about her and her situation, and if I would ask her ‘why are you doing this?’ In other words, go back to a job, get a job, and have a few dogs and that’s all like normal people," said Kathleen.

"How relieved are you to start over?" we asked Kathleen.

"I’m sleeping like a baby," Kathleen replied. "I’m sleeping like a baby."

Kathleen does need a lot of help, as she has no access to her money, including her Social Security checks. According to our previous reports, court documents state that according to April, she used Kathleen's Social Security payments to pay the home's mortgage, as there is no other type of income coming in.

GoFundMe for Kathleen McLaughlin, organized by her sister

https://www.gofundme.com/f/8ex6h7-hope-for-abused-elder