A Florida mom looking to blow off a little steam on a vacation is paying the price for her decision. Jessica Copeland is now facing charges after reportedly abandoning her child and multiple pet dogs for a trip to Las Vegas. Beyond failing to find adequate care for her child while she was gone, she didn’t have care in place for her pets. But based on what investigators saw, neglecting her animals likely began before her vacation.
Deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office were called to the home of Jessica Copeland on August 5, 2025, according to Fox 13. Reports of possible neglect led them to a Palatka home. When authorities arrived, they didn’t know what they were going to find.
Copeland’s child, whose age has not been released, was alone in the home. The child, who was identified by Fox 13 as a son, told deputies that Copeland left for a trip to Las Vegas on July 21. While she was gone, people were bringing the child food.
According to deputies, feces were “everywhere” inside the home, as well as bowls full of water and insects. Seven dogs were found in the home in varying states of neglect, Action News Jax reported. Two dogs were locked in bedrooms with no food or water. There were piles of feces in the rooms with them.
Another dog was locked in a cage behind a couch, and it was clear she wasn’t being fed. Four more dogs were found in the living room, which was covered in feces.
The child told officers that the home had been in poor condition for a long time.
“A mother made the conscious choice to abandon her own child in a filth-ridden home, surrounded by the stench of animal feces and suffering of neglected animals while she indulged on a two-week birthday trip to Las Vegas. This wasn’t neglect. This was deliberate cruelty, both to her child and to the animals she left behind.” Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach noted in a statement accompanying the video shared on Facebook.
When the mother returned from her vacation, police were waiting for her. She has been charged with one count of child neglect, three counts of felony animal neglect, and four counts of misdemeanor animal neglect. Copeland is being held on a $36,000 bond.
“Let me be clear, our community will not tolerate this level of selfish disregard for human and animal life. She now has time for reflection,” DeLoach added in his post.
