Savannah-Chatham police animal control officers were called to Stars and Stripes Self Storage at 5503 Montgomery St. after the manager found dead animals in one of the storage units Thursday afternoon. Police spokeswoman Gena Sullivan said the unit had been rented in January by a woman named Stephanie Bennett. No payments had been made in 90 days, she said, giving the manager permission to enter the unit to inventory and auction off the contents. In the process of doing so, he found four dead cats and one dead dog, all in crates, inside the 10-foot-by-20-foot unit. The state of the animals’ decomposition led the animal control officers who removed them to believe they had been dead for months. In addition to the five animals, there were also household items in the unit. Police believe Bennett has left Georgia and may be living in South Carolina. The investigation is just beginning, and Sullivan said charges will follow. No further information was immediately available. (via Savannahnow )