Shenandoah neighbors concerned after people seemingly move out, leaving property trashed
BATON ROUGE - Following a 2 On Your Side report, two people living at a property in Shenandoah have seemingly moved out, leaving a mess behind.
Days after an initial report, several dogs were picked up by animal control from the house on Chantilly Avenue. The property appears to have been trashed, inside and outside.
Lori Badame lives next door and says it's a mess she's been looking at for two and a half years. She tells 2 On Your Side the people who purchased the home in 2022 were rarely seen and did not use the front door. Badame reached out after she suspected her neighbors were living in an RV parked in the driveway.
"I don't know how anybody could live like that," Badame said.
The back door to the property was left unsecured Tuesday. A look inside showed a large bug infestation, cobwebs, trash, feces, and filth. The rear patio surrounding an empty in-ground pool is covered in trash, old motor oil cans, dog and cat food, and random other items. The smell is horrific.
"That's a health hazard from so many levels and it affects all of us," Badame said.
Two weeks ago, there were at least eight dogs roaming the fenced-in area behind the house. The back door was open, left for the dogs to go in and out. Neighbors say the barking went on all day and night.
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David Comeaux is the one who has been living at the property. Neighbors say he was married but his wife was rarely seen. Comeaux told 2 On Your Side he has been unable to make mortgage payments and had plans to move to Mississippi.
On October 11, the city-parish posted a notice on the front door telling the property owners to clean up or face fines. Badame says the Comeauxs left around that time, taking the RV with them.
"There was never a moving truck when they moved in and when he left," Badame said.
The neighborhood has reported the property to the city-parish on several occasions, before 2 On Your Side's involvement. Comeaux was ordered to drain the pool.
"They said they never really saw an issue other than the pool and that's all they made them do," Badame said.
The grass is quickly growing and jasmine has taken over the front porch. Badame isn't sure what to do with the mess and the smell left behind.
The city-parish says the house currently doesn't meet the qualifications for condemnation, but the house is within the boundaries of St. George. Mayor Dustin Yates says St. George is still waiting for the City-Parish to relinquish tax dollars.