Dollar General employee speaks out about neglected 14-year-old living alone

Video above: ‘News 5 Now’ — Top News for January 8, 2026

Update (6pm): News 5 is hearing from a Dollar General employee whose 911 call led deputies to uncover months of neglect involving a 14-year-old girl.

Jessica Smitherman said she called for help after seeing the girl stumbling outside the store.

“She looked like she hadn’t showered; she had dog hair all over her clothes. She smelled really bad. So I knew she needed some kind of help,” Smitherman said.

Deputies say the girl was taken to a hospital, where investigators learned she had been living alone in a mobile home for months. Sheriff Paul Birch described the conditions deputies found inside.

“The conditions in the mobile home were just deplorable and not something any human or any animal would live in,” Birch said.

Investigators said they also found a handwritten note with 87 digits saying, “How many times can mommy not pick me up?”

“Which leads me to believe that at least 87 times her mother wanted her to come back. And she didn’t,” Birch said.

Smitherman says the situation has caught up with her.

“It breaks my heart that she was in that situation. And I wish she had come to me sooner,” Smitherman said.

The girl’s mother and stepfather have now been charged with child abuse and animal cruelty.

“I can’t imagine the emotional part of knowing your parents are going to leave you to fend for yourself,” Burch said.

Officials say the teenager is safe and in protective care.

“She’s still young enough that she can get through this, and she can have a good life,” Smitherman said.

Previous reporting:

Mobile County, Ala. (WKRG) – Deputies with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man and woman after a 14-year-old girl was found living alone with several dogs.

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According to an MCSO news release, deputies were called to the Dollar General on Jarrett Road on Jan. 4 about a girl complaining of dizziness and stomach pains when a store employee saw her stumbling in the street.

Officials said the girl was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, at which time detectives and the Child Advocacy Center interviewed her.

The girl reportedly said she had been living alone with her dogs in a mobile home on Jarrett Road since February 2025 and that she last saw her mother and stepfather on Oct. 31, 2025.

The girl’s mother, 43-year-old Marcelle Pertilla, and stepfather, 52-year-old Eugene Medrano, live and work in Pensacola, the girl said.

Authorities said Pertilla would send the food to the girl through DoorDash or Walmart delivery.

Pertilla and Medrano rushed to the hospital and were interviewed by detectives before they were arrested.

“When asked why her daughter was left alone, the mother said the teenager did not want to leave her service animals,” the statement said.

Authorities said a search warrant was executed on the trailer on Jan. 5, where they found it covered in urine, feces, roaches, trash and miscellaneous items.

Detectives with Pritchard Animal Control also found seven dogs on the property — four were found inside, including one dead inside a closet.

The release said detectives also found a handwritten letter in the girl’s bedroom, titled “How often does mommy tell me she can’t wake me up” and had 87 dashes on the page.

“We’re looking for answers as to why this young woman was living alone and whether or not others tried to call law enforcement,” said Sheriff Paul Birch.

“Thanks to the staff with Dollar General who contacted the county, and we were able to respond. If you see something, say something; it could mean the difference between life or death.”

Pertilla was charged with one count of child abuse, one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, and six counts of second-degree dog cruelty.

Mobile police released a photo of the man involved in the Family Dollar parking lot robbery

Medrano was charged with one count of child abuse, one count of aggravated cruelty to animals and five counts of second-degree dog cruelty.

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