Florida mail carrier accused of snatching pets on route, trapping 100-plus cats and dogs in ‘hoarding’ house

The "worst carnal hoarding case" a Florida sheriff has ever seen is present expanding arsenic much animals are being recovered.

Some of the rescued animals already person been reunited with owners who said they’d fixed up anticipation of ever seeing them again.

Gail Giustino, a 77-year-old message carrier, was arrested July 20 aft authorities recovered much than 100 animals held successful feces-filled cages successful her Stuart home. She’d been "collecting cats" she recovered on her message route, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said.

Gail Giustino, 77, has been charged with 1 number of carnal cruelty and 1 number of confinement of animals without capable exercise. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)

RIDGLAN FARMS RESCUE BEAGLES FIND NEW LIFE HELPING VETERANS OVERCOME WAR TRAUMA WITH PAWS OF WAR

With nary aerial conditioning oregon ventilation, the location was "probably 110 degrees" connected the precocious July time erstwhile the animals were removed, Budensiek said successful a quality league connected July 20 extracurricular Giustino’s home.

"We were coming retired present reasoning possibly 15, 20, 30 cats," helium told reporters, arsenic radical wearing achromatic hazmat suits carried retired cages holding dozens of cats and astatine slightest a twelve tiny dogs. There was "a ft of carnal feces" successful parts of the house, Budensiek said.

Some of the caged cats were held accelerated successful feces that had hardened similar concrete. Staffers had to smash bricks of feces from astir the cats’ legs to let them to move, Sarah Fisher, spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Treasure Coast, told Fox News Digital.

"When we cracked the door…the stench was unreal," Budensiek said. "The aerial was stifling hot." He went connected to say, "She ne'er walks the pets. She ne'er brings them extracurricular of the house. They've been confined to that carnal jailhouse truly for nevertheless agelong she's been hoarding these pets."

Investigators recovered animals from wrong the location of Gail Giustino successful Stuart, Fla., connected July 20, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)

PARTNER OF WOMAN KILLED BY DOGS RECENTLY SAVED NEIGHBOR WOUNDED IN SIMILAR ATTACK: COURT RECORDS

Investigators faced an "overwhelming" odor of "animal urine, feces, and ammonia," an odor that wafted extracurricular the house, authorities said. The "deplorable" conditions wrong the location near "no harmless way of introduction owed to excessive debris, carnal feces, and urine," investigators reported.

The odor wrong the residence was truthful terrible that it "presented a imaginable wellness hazard to responding personnel," apprehension records show.

Since 2014, section carnal power had issued "up to 65 civilian citations" to Giustino for the conditions she’s kept animals, the sheriff said.

DOG SAVED FROM ISIS BY ARMY VETERAN 'KIDNAPPED' FROM FAMILY YARD BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES

And codification enforcement officers helped her adhd air-conditioning units, Budensiek said. But investigators recovered that those units were not working. And "we haven’t been retired present checking connected her for the past 10 years," helium said.

Giustino could person been charged with up to 160 counts of carnal cruelty, Budensiek said. Instead, she was charged with 1 misdemeanor number of carnal cruelty and 1 misdemeanor number of confinement of animals without capable exercise. She was released connected a $50,000 bond.

"We genuinely judge that Gail thinks she's doing the close thing," helium said. "But she's doing it the incorrect way."

Investigators recovered dogs and cats from wrong the location of Gail Giustino successful Stuart, Fla., connected July 20, 2026. (Martin County Sheriff's Office)

He said, "The extremity of arresting her was to beryllium capable to prehend the animals, to prevention them from decease and effort to get them the assistance that they need."

They besides hoped the process would pb to intelligence wellness attraction for Giustino, helium said. She did not respond to a petition for remark by Fox News Digital.

Giustino started moving for the U.S. Postal Service successful 1997 and is inactive employed, said Debra Jean Fetterly, a USPS spokesperson for South Florida.

"We are alert of the situation," Fetterly told Fox News Digital. "The Postal Service does not publically sermon unit matters."

‘They cognize they’re safe’

Days aft the arrest, Martin County officials were capable to trap and bring successful 3 of 4 cats that escaped during the rescue effort astatine Giustino’s home.

And a person surrendered 5 much tiny dogs Giustino allegedly near successful her care, Fisher said. By July 29, the humane nine had received 108 animals from Giustino’s home.

"We unluckily are anticipating much of Gail's animals to beryllium coming successful the coming weeks" from her friends’ homes, Fisher said. "The sheriff's looking into that close now."

"We don't cognize truly what to expect, but we're prepared."

Meanwhile, staffers person struggled emotionally, she said, due to the fact that the animals "were successful beauteous unspeakable shape."

Two dogs removed from the location of Gail Giustino person attraction astatine the Humane Society of Treasure Coast. (Courtesy of Sarah Fisher)

"They were truly conscionable unopen down. Some of the cats were catatonic; they wouldn't adjacent move. They were traumatized."

But now, they’ve started showing signs of healing.

"It's really filling our hearts close present due to the fact that they person been coming retired of their shells," Fisher said. "These cats that weren’t adjacent lifting their heads up are present meowing and seeking attention, and I deliberation they cognize they're safe."

The 12 tiny dogs recovered from Giustino’s location showed signs of betterment faster, she said.

They were thin, flea-covered, missing hairsbreadth due to the fact that of neglect, and were suffering with dental disease, Fisher said. They scope successful property from 2 to 8, she said, and galore look to beryllium Yorkshire terriers, besides known arsenic Yorkies.

"Dogs are conscionable different," Fisher said. "They were blessed arsenic could be. They knew they were saved and they were happy. … It's truly giving america anticipation astatine the shelter."

Further bolstering spirits is the enthusiastic enactment from locals, Fisher said.

They’ve flooded the structure with requests to follow the neglected animals. They’ve brought pizzas, pastries and different treats for workers.

"It’s been beauteous to see," she said.

A large portion of the task involves trying to put for reunions with imaginable owners.

On Friday morning, July 24, hearts overflowed with anticipation extracurricular the shelter.

Dozens of radical from each walks of beingness queued up successful the blazing Florida heat, each waiting to spot if their missing pets were among those rescued.

Jisel Leon reunites with her cat, Blizzard, astatine the Humane Society of Treasure Coast successful Palm City, Fla., connected July 24, 2026. (Courtesy of Sarah Fisher)

"We had 50-plus people, very, precise anxious close erstwhile the doors opened astatine 10 o’clock," she said.

"They were precise fantastic and patient. And 1 by one, they were each walking retired crying due to the fact that their animals weren't with us."

Shelter employees had hoped for joyful reunions.

"There were grown men crying; determination were kids crying. It was truthful emotional," Fisher said. "It was really, truly hard."

By the extremity of that Friday, 2 much favored owners rejoiced implicit their unexpected reunions.

And staffers anticipation determination volition beryllium much successful the coming days arsenic connection spreads astir the recovered animals, she said.

Any of the dogs and cats not claimed yet volition beryllium disposable for adoption. There’s nary timeline yet for that.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE

"We privation to marque definite that immoderate of these owned animals are going to beryllium going location with their owners, and we're not accidentally going to beryllium adopting them out."

Linh Nguyen called her reunion with 6-year-old Patchy a wide reply to prayer.

Linh Nguyen and Patchy locomotion by the h2o successful Stuart, Fla., connected July 24, 2026. (Courtesy of Linh Nguyen)

SEND US A TIP

He’d disappeared from her gait successful aboriginal January.

"I’d been praying for his instrumentality for 7 months," Nguyen told Fox News Digital.

GOT A TIP?

As she prayed, she said she told God she knew it was conscionable "a small thing, conscionable a cat."

But her religion told her that thing was possible.

She posted fliers offering a $5,000 reward for Patchy’s return. She rode her motorcycle done the vicinity precocious astatine nighttime calling his sanction until she was hoarse. And she kept praying.

"If You bash a occurrence and bring my feline home," she pleaded successful faith, "I volition archer everyone it is You."

Then she saw a quality study astir the rescued cats. She had a beardown feeling her missing favored mightiness beryllium among them. And erstwhile she stepped into the Humane Society, helium saw her close away, she said. She heard meowing that got progressively louder.

"I couldn’t spot him, but I recognized his voice."

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Now, Nguyen said, Patchy is thriving astatine location again and is enjoying walks connected a leash.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

She’s relieved to cognize that others are being reunited with their pets, she said. And she’s gladsome to cognize that Giustino "will get the assistance that she needs."

"This," Nguyen said, "is a axenic miracle."