WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – An elderly woman in Mingo County says she smells a rat, but it's probably not what you'd expect.

A rash of rodents has gotten into her home, and she's not thrilled about the new company.

"You're afraid, you kind of watch where you step," 83-year-old Mae Stallard said.

For the past two months, Stallard's house along Oak Street in Williamson has been infested with rats.

"My daughter came down to change my winter clothing, from summer to winter,” Stallard said. “She was cleaning out my closet and said, 'Mom, you've got rats in here.' ”

Stallard says the rats have gnawed through a lot of her clothes and gnawed holes in her walls.

Williamson City Unsafe Building Commissioner Jerry Mounts says the problem may have originated at a house two doors over from Stallard.

Mounts says it was filled with trash, and the person renting there has been evicted. He says the house has now been cleaned up.

So far, Stallard says her son has killed 16 rats with traps set up throughout her house.

"I wouldn't want anyone else to go through that,” she said. “It's been a frightening thing."

Stallard says it's been a couple days since the last rat sighting.

She’s hoping all the rats in her home are wiped out, and her neighborhood stays clean so the rat visits won't become a recurring problem.

No one else on the street has made any rodent complaints, Mounts said.