An Arizona woman was arrested after authorities found dead dogs in her freezer.
The police began investigating her residence after a veterinarian complained about her dogs not being in healthy conditions.
Arizona: Woman Arrested After Dead Dogs Were Found in Freezer
A Boxer dog looks out from its kennel on first day of Crufts dog show at the NEC on March 6, 2014 in Birmingham, England. Said to be the largest show of its kind in the world, the annual four-day event, features thousands of dogs.
According to Fox News, April Mclaughlin's house was visited by the police on Friday, Sept. 22, in Chandler, Arizona, and found dozens of dogs living in squalor with no water. Tragically, some of these dogs were found dead in a freezer. But, thanks to authorities' efforts, around 55 furries were rescued.
Mclaughlin owns a shelter for special needs dogs. At first, people thought that the woman was taking care of them. But, it turns out that April did not care for the dogs and just allowed them to live in filthy conditions. Firefighters who responded to her residence even wore special equipment so they could breathe properly inside her house.
Police officials said an investigation began on Sept. 8 after a vet complained about the unhealthy living conditions of Mclaughlin's dogs.
"We wanted to ensure there weren't hazardous fumes occurring at the residence with first responders inside a very small home, so that's why they were requested to ensure that everybody was safe inside the home," said the police department.
When the Chandler Police Department discovered dead dogs inside her freezer, April argued there was nothing wrong with storing dead canines next to frozen food. April Mclaughlin currently faces 100 misdemeanors, one count of vulnerable adult abuse, and other charges, such as animal abuse.
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Other Animal Abuse Cases in the US
Dogs are kept in a cage at the Harris County Pets animal shelter on July 18, 2022 in Houston, Texas. The shelter has reported being over-capacity and under staffed as a steady increase of animal returns and rescues overwhelms the facility.
An Ohio woman was also arrested in August after authorities found 30 dead dogs in her freezer. 60-year-old Ronda Murphy's case is similar to April Mclaughlin's latest arrest. The Butler County Sheriff's Office said 90 dogs were rescued from Murphy's place. However, 30 canines were found dead on two of her properties.
Some of these dead dogs, including puppies, were found inside her refrigerators and freezers. Officials said that the dead bodies have varying states of decomposition, as reported by FOX 59. The Butler County Sheriff's Office moved all the living dogs to the Animal Friends Humane Society of Butler County so they could be treated properly.
Meanwhile, the animal abuser faces three charges. These include two counts of misdemeanor and one felony count of cruelty to a companion animal.
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