OLGA H. MURPHY and IGOR Y. MURSALIMOV arrested – More than fifty live cats rescued, and several cats found dead in a freezer

- Florida, USA -

The Collier County Sheriff's Office arrested 62-year-old OLGA H. MURPHY and her husband 54-year-old IGOR Y. MURSALIMOV (both pictured).

MURPHY and MURSALIMOV hold an active breeder license.

According to the arrest report, back in April 2025, Collier County Code Enforcement officer Frank visited MURPHY and MURSALIMOV's home at 1740 Piedmont Court in Marco Island to perform an inspection.

During this visit, Officer Frank saw two cats “with inverted eye lids”.  This was brought to the attention of MURPHY who then surrendered the cats to Collier County Domestic Animal Services saying she could not afford medical care for them.

On June 9, 2025, the Honorable Judge Robert L. Crown approved a search warrant for the home on 1740 Piedmont Court in Marco Island.

According to the report, “Officer Frank requested Law Enforcement and Veterinary staff to be on scene as she suspected several cats might need medical care”.  Officer Frank also indicated that on previous visits MURPHY and MURSALIMOV would not allow her entry and possibly hide cats from her when she attempted to conduct the required inspections.

On the morning of June 11, 2025, officials entered the home. According to the report, there were two young cats in the living room, four kittens in the front bedroom, nine cats on the patio, nine more cats in the kitchen, and twenty-four cats in a small backroom.  

“An inventory was done and a total of 57 cats were removed from this home”, stated the report.

In the living room, officials found a freezer containing approximately fifteen to twenty deceased cats.

Officials reported that all litter boxes were full of fecal matter. The floor of the small backroom was full of vomit, fecal matter, and urine.

Although all the furvictims had access to water, most of the water bowls were dirty.

MURPHY signed an owner surrender form for all but the four kittens. However, Collier County Domestic Animal Services seized the four kittens “due to the totality of the situation”, read the report.

Erica Unz, DVM, was on the scene and conducted a medical evaluation of each living feline.

One cat stood out, a black female named Irene. Irene needed medical care and was suffering from a ruptured eye. Irene has been dealing with this injury since 2023. This type of injury is painful and requires surgery, which was clearly not done.

When the deputy with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office talked to MURPHY, she admitted to hiding sick cats from previous inspections as well as Irene due to her eye injury.

MURPHY went on to state that in 2023, when she was out of the country, her husband advised her of Irene’s condition, but MURPHY has never taken the furvictim to the veterinarian because she could not afford the medical care. She also said that her daughter-in-law is a veterinarian in Russia and each time a cat has a medical issue, she gets advice and prescription medication from her. MURPHY then administers care accordingly. MURPHY explained that every time she travels, she brings the medication back to the country.

MURPHY and MURSALIMOV are facing one felony count of aggravated animal cruelty.

Court records show MURPHY and MURSALIMOV are scheduled to appear back in court on July 7, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.

Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said: “I’m proud of the swift action our detectives and partners took to remove these animals from an unhealthy environment so they can get the necessary care. Animal cruelty has no place in Collier County and we will continue to work aggressively to hold offenders accountable.”

This continues to be an active investigation as further evaluations and necropsies are underway.

As I am writing the story, I am in receipt of a response from Animal Services, and I learned that none of the rescued cats were euthanized!

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Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the press release by the Collier County Sheriff's Office. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

Mugshots shared from the Collier County Sheriff's Office

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