WELLINGTON, Ohio (WJW) — Michelle Knight, now known as Lily Rose Lee, tells the Fox 8 I-Team she was stunned Wednesday when agents with the Friendship APL and Lorain County Sheriff Deputies showed up at her Unleashed Animal Rescue Shelter and took several animals.
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“I have a hole in my heart,” Lee said. “They took my babies. They never gave me a warning.”
Friendship APL released the following statement:
“After receiving complaints about animal neglect occurring at a property in Wellington, the Friendship Animal Protective League began an investigation. Failing to gain the cooperation of the suspect, the Friendship APL humane agent executed a search warrant issued by the Oberlin Municipal Court. This matter is a pending investigation. Further details cannot be released at this time.”
Lee said the agents took mainly birds and rabbits. She said she was told the cages she had were not in good shape and she needed new ones.
A bird Lee said APL took during the raid
A guinea pig Lee said APL took during the raid
A rabbit Lee said APL took during the raid
Lee said Unleashed Animal Rescue is a non-profit that takes in abandoned and surrendered rescue animals.
Lee spent a decade with two other women held hostage in a home on Cleveland’s west side. The women all escaped in 2013.
“I need donations of cages for birds, large, medium and small,” Lee added. “I need cages for rabbits, small, medium and large. I need reptile containment, small, medium, and large. I love my animals with all my heart. I treat them like my child because I can’t have children.”
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She said the agents did not take all her animals. They left her dogs, cats, and barn animals.
Lee says she is hoping to get her animals back.
“God is with me,” Lee said. “God is guiding me.“
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