A neglectful mom, who cared more about her dogs than her child, was arrested in Virginia. She was keeping 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. 

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 unclear as the arrest documents are redacted. 

Bremner was arrested last month and charged with one count of child abuse and neglect, a felony, according to court records.

Detectives also arrested Michael Shikpark, 43, on the same day and charged him with the same crimes as Bremner for his involvement in the abuse of the boy. He was arrested in North Carolina and taken to the Forsyth County jail, awaiting extradition to Virginia.

On January 19, police got the 911 call alerting them to possible child abuse at a home in Castlewood, Virginia. Officers from Russell County Sheriff’s office and the Russell Animal Control Department responded to the call 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 rushed 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 surrounding oozing yellow tissue.

Medical personnel said that the boy’s injuries were severe and they couldn’t save his leg. They had to perform a below-the-knee amputation.

During interviews with investigators, 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 about twice 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 clear why Bremner and her companion felt the need to lock the boy up at night. 

Despite failing to care for her son properly, Bremner 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.