BATON ROUGE - A new type of blight affecting a house off South Harrells Ferry Road in Baton Rouge. Neighbors say the home has been abandoned for years, and now it's emitting a smell and attracting rodents.

From the street, the brick house on Aubinwood Drive appears normal. But neighbors say there's more than meets the eye. 

"It's nasty," says Jonathan Rovira.

Two years ago, Rovira and his wife moved into the house next door. He soon learned he didn't have a neighbor. 

"I don't know what happened to the owner of this house," he said.

Neighbors say the owner left two years ago, before Rovira moved in next door. In those two years, Janice Morvant says that neighbors living in the Lakes at Aubin Wood have been keeping the front yard neat and tidy as best they can.

"We thought her children would come in and oversee it and keep it up until she was able to return home, but that never happened," said Morvant.

These residents say they can only do so much. Now the property is attracting rodents. Rovira says he's caught several rats. There's also a stench coming from the house.

"It smells horrible," said Rovira.

In the backyard, the grass has grown tall. Kennels sit on the back patio and there's a pet door. The owner had several pets, including four cats and four dogs. 

"She flew in some geese, and raised them in her kitchen," said Morvant.

Now there's mold growing on the exterior of the house, and on the windows. Rovira says no one has been by to maintain the property. The gas and water have been shut off, and there are notices taped to the front door showing the place is vacant. A look in the window shows the house's contents, including furniture, a bed, tables, chairs, and a wheelchair. It's a scene frozen in time.

Onity Group Inc. is the mortgage holder for the property. Last week, 2 On Your Side reached out to them for more information, and they acknowledged receipt of the email but didn't provide much information. Neighbors say someone was by on Tuesday cutting the front yard and removed a refrigerator from inside. 

Neighbors want the exterior maintained consistently. 

"We want someone else, a nice family who will keep things up like it should be, like everybody else's is," said Morvant.

They really want someone to address the smell.

EBRSO says the taxes have been paid on the property by the mortgage company. The city has not received any complaints, other than a request for it to be condemned in 2025; the house is not legally condemnable. WBRZ tried calling representatives for the owner, but did not hear back.