Several dogs, cats found dead in animal hoarding case
The woman with too many animals on the city’s east side was on investigators’ radar for months, and it started with a wellness check on some pets in January, later ending in the middle of May, with seven dogs and cats found dead inside the home and five others wasting away.
DETROIT (FOX 2) – An animal hoarding situation in Metro Detroit became such a danger that it required a hazmat team.
What they’re saying:
The woman with too many animals on the city’s east side was on investigators’ radar for months, and it started with a wellness check on some pets in January, later ending in the middle of May, with seven dogs and cats found dead inside the home and five others wasting away.
Director of the City of Detroit General Services Department, Crystal Perkins, was heartbroken by the find.
“We had to have hazmat, police, and fire was there,” she said.
Investigators with Detroit Animal Care and Control (DACC), who were armed with an emergency order, found the animals and rescued the others from the hoarding home off Neff Street.
“I spoke to a couple of the fire employees, and I know a lot of them were shaken up about the conditions,” Perkins said.
Timeline:
It started with a welfare check in January, where the woman who lived there opened the door to investigators with the DACC but wouldn’t let them in.
“The homeowner did bring eight animals for us to look at that time that appeared to be in good condition, no cause for concern at that time,” Perkins said.
She was given a laundry list of citations and expected to show up in court but missed multiple dates until mid-May, which was the last straw.
DACC investigators testified to a judge to get an emergency order to go inside the home.
Animal advocate Theresa Sumpter was not involved in the case but sees many like it all the time.
“So we have three cases in court right now some are from two years ago,” she said. “In the meantime, you don’t want these abusers to get more animals. We don’t want more victims in these cases.”
It’s unclear the condition of the animals, but they’re being cared for.
What’s next:
As of Tuesday night, the woman at the center of this investigation is not in police custody but is likely to face charges.
“At the end of the day, we want to see justice for these animals, and we hope that we will see justice in this,” Sumpter said.
What you can do:
A lot of times, officials say people think they’re helping somehow by taking animals in, and often mental illness plays a role.
The best thing people can do to help overpopulation is get pets spayed and neutered.
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