Pet-Abuse.Com - Animal Abuse Case Details: Hoarding over 280 animals, 200 more found dead

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Case ID: 12460

Classification: Hoarding

Animal: cat, dog (non pit-bull), bird (pet)

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Hoarding over 280 animals, 200 more found dead
Rochelle, IL (US)

Incident Date: Saturday, Oct 13, 2007
County: Lee

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Barbara Munroe

Case Updates: 5 update(s) available

Officials say a 65-year-old rural Illinois woman probably didn't intend to hurt the animals under her care.

But Barbara Munroe of Rochelle still faces charges of animal cruelty.

Authorities seized more than 230 dogs, cats and birds over the weekend from Munroe's home in northwestern Illinois.

Animal welfare officials say some animals were kept in cars and many were dehydrated and malnourished.

Munroe was still being held in the Lee County jail today on $35,000 bond.

Animal Control official Jack Nicklaus says Munroe had good intentions. But he says it appears matters just got out of her control.

The animals seized yesterday have been taken to a temporary shelter.

Munroe is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.

Case Updates

A Rochelle woman charged with animal cruelty will undergo a fitness evaluation. Barbara Munroe, 65, appeared in court for the first time with an attorney Friday. He asked that she be evaluated to see if she understands the charges against her and the possible penalties.

Munroe was previously hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation.

She was arrested after police found hundreds of dogs, cats, and birds on her property near Rochelle October 14. Many were dead. The others are being adopted out by the Tails Humane Society in DeKalb.

Source: WREX - Nov 30, 2007
Update posted on Nov 30, 2007 - 9:46PM

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The estimated cost of managing one of the worst animal hoarding cases in Illinois history came in Wednesday at $5,000, significantly less than Lee County officials feared last month after they seized 230 diseased and malnourished pets from the now-condemned home of a rural Rochelle woman.

The relatively low price tag is good news for taxpayers, said Andrew Bollman, assistant Lee County state's attorney.

The county provided shelter for Barbara Munroe's 106 dogs, 160 cats and 31 domestic birds, using public and private kennels and shelters, after her arrest Oct. 12. Several animals required extensive veterinary care.

Munroe has pleaded not guilty to 10 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and not caring for her pets; she has a pretrial conference Nov. 30.

Much of the savings came from a combination of volunteer help, state grants and the fact that Munroe's medical bills no longer are the county's responsibility, Bollman said.

Patient privacy laws prevent him from saying where Munroe is being treated, but she no longer is in Lee County, Bollman said.

Other costs included a mass extermination of rats on Munroe's five-acre Mulligan Road property. The infestation should be eliminated by Dec. 1, said Tim Trader, director of the Department of Environmental Health.

A decision on whether to demolish Munroe's home is months away, because the department hasn't talked much about it yet, Trader said.

Source: Sauk Valley - Nov 15, 2007
Update posted on Nov 16, 2007 - 2:27AM

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Although most of the dogs, cats and birds Barbara Munroe kept in her rural Rochelle farmhouse were unhealthy and in need of attention, many of them found caring homes Saturday in the city of DeKalb.

"There were some sad stories with some of the pets here, but today is a very positive day," said Carolyn Law, public relations director for Taking Animals Into Loving Shelter, a northern Illinois non-profit organization that helped set up Saturday's adoption event under two tents in a pet store parking lot. "It's a strong message that it's really important for us to value these animals."

Officials raided Munroe's dilapidated Lee County home nearly three weeks ago and seized roughly 160 cats, 106 dogs and 31 birds that were being kept in unhealthy conditions. Munroe is accused of hoarding those pets, along with about 200 dead animals.

The live animals were immediately moved to a hangar at the DeKalb airport and, after Munroe surrendered ownership to the local Humane Society, the animals have been under the care of TAILS volunteers.

Law said that during the last three weeks, more than 700 people helped walk the dogs, feed the cats and provide temporary human companionship and that "not everyone who is a volunteer necessarily wants to adopt one of the pets."

"She was very shy and depressed, but she came out of it quickly," said volunteer Glenda Flower of a puppy she adopted Saturday. "She's gonna be a wonderful addition to our family."

TAILS works in cooperation with the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago, providing pets for adoption.

Law said that in one day, the Anti-Cruelty Society picked up 40 of Munroe's cats and dogs, spayed or neutered them in Chicago and then returned the animals to DeKalb, free of charge.

TAILS board member Sue Christensen said they expected all the dogs to be adopted Saturday. Animals that are not adopted will go to a no-kill shelter in DeKalb.

Munroe, 65, is facing 10 misdemeanor charges relating to mistreatment of animals. She was arrested Oct. 12 after county investigators found her to be keeping the animals in a home littered with garbage, decaying cat carcasses and animal waste. Authorities said Munroe was sleeping on her front porch atop a plastic storage bin that held dead cats.

Officials said the case appears to be one of the state's largest cases of animal hoarding, a mental illness usually linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression or anxiety.

Christensen said officials found various dog and cat medications in Munroe's home that had not been dispensed to the animals.

Source: Chicago Tribune - Nov 3, 2007
Update posted on Nov 4, 2007 - 1:04AM

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Saying her biggest concern was for the animals, a Rochelle-area woman charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty for hoarding almost 300 dogs, cats and birds gave them up voluntarily Tuesday.

At a forfeiture hearing in Dixon, Barbara Munroe, 65, said she wanted the animals to be adopted because she could not afford the $1,500 a week it was costing her for food, Lee County Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Bollman said.

His office had filed a petition to seek the money needed to feed, treat and shelter the pets. According to a cost analysis provided by TAILS Humane Society in DeKalb, which is caring for the animals, it would cost about $138,000 a month to care for the 106 dogs, 160 cats and 31 birds seized.

Munroe would have had five days to post the money, or the animals would automatically be forfeited and put up for adoption, Bollman said.

Because the hearing was a civil matter, the court could not assign her a public defender, and she appeared on her own behalf. She "was eager to have the animals adopted out," Bollman said. "She was coherent, presentable and very cooperative with us."

The day of her arrest, Oct. 12, Munroe was confused and belligerent, and had to be treated for lice and fleas at the jail. In addition to the 300 live pets, more than 200 cat carcasses, and two dead dogs also were found on the property, in the refrigerator, stuffed in barrels and lying on the floors of her rural home, which is in the process of being condemned.

She was taken from the Lee County Jail shortly after her arrest and is undergoing a mental evaluation at a local health care facility. Details on what treatment, if any, she is receiving are unavailable.

She has pleaded not guilty to 10 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and not caring for her pets; she has a pretrial conference Nov. 30.

There is a 100 percent recidivism rate for animal hoarders, and the state wants to make sure Munroe does not own animals ever again, Bollman said.

When the time comes to begin adopting the animals, the nonprofit's shelter's fees are $125 for adult cats and $200 for adult dogs. The shelter puts a high emphasis on conversations with potential owners, and a staff member will talk to them and fill out an adoption application and a contract.

"We don't have the resources to do home checks," said Beth Drake, director of TAILS. "We feel confident that we screen these people thoroughly enough to know that they can provide a good home for these animals."

Many of Munroe's dogs are blind, either by birth or neglect, Drake said.

"We've identified some health issues that are a little more significant than we initially thought," she said. "There have been some severe teeth issue and upper respiratory problems in the cats. We'll make placement decisions on a case-by-case basis."

Animals with special needs, either because of poor health or temperament, may be sent to a breed-specific rescue shelter or a licensed animal foster home, she said.

"It's clear to me that Barb was doing the best she could but got overwhelmed by things," Drake said. "Right now, our main concern is to make sure these animals are healthy and being cared for in the best possible way."

Source: Sauk Valley Daily Gazette - Oct 24, 2007
Update posted on Oct 25, 2007 - 12:01AM

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The assistant state's attorney prosecuting a Rochelle woman who apparently hoarded nearly 300 animals has filed a petition to have her committed for psychiatric care.

Barbara C. Munroe, 65, was taken from the Lee County Jail for a mental evaluation Monday, after Assistant State's Attorney Andrew Bollman filed an emergency petition for involuntary commitment in Circuit Judge Jacquelyn Ackert's court.

Munroe is charged with eight counts of animal cruelty and two counts of violating owner's duties after a search of her house resulted in the seizure of more than 150 cats, about 100 dogs and about 30 birds, most of which were dehydrated and malnourished, officials said.

The have been taken to a temporary shelter in an airplane hangar in DeKalb that is being run by the TAILS Humane Society.

More than 200 animal carcasses also were found in and around her rural Mulligan Road home, which was thick with feces and infested with maggots, fleas and rats and may be condemned.

Munroe pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday; at her arraignment, she appeared confused and insisted she had done nothing wrong. Public Defender Bob Thompson was appointed her attorney.

In his petition, Bollman cited Munroe's living conditions and a concern for her safety. A hearing will be held within five days to determine if she should be involuntarily committed or returned to jail.

Lee County Animal Control Warden Jack Nicklaus said he was aware that Munroe had medical problems and became concerned about her larger dogs jumping on her and causing her to fall. Animal Control workers had been to the home several times to help her feed and water the animals outside, but Munroe refused to allow him inside the home, he said.

"She was the kind of person who didn't want to ask for help," Nicklaus said. "In the short term, the animals we saw were all in good shape a few months ago, and we tried to tell her that she needed to bring the dogs in for vaccinations."

The Lee County Sheriff's Department was sent to Munroe's home Thursday after Animal Control officials became concerned about 35 dogs that had missed their rabies vaccines, called the state's attorney's office. They also had become aware of numerous animals living in outdoor pens, and the run-down shape of the house.

A state Department of Agriculture representative, also sent to the home Thursday, saw that the outside animals were in poor condition and noticed a strong smell of ammonia coming from the house. Deputies, too, noticed the strong scent of urine and excrement, and saw rats eating the food given to the dogs, Varga said.

Munroe agreed to be checked out at a local mental health care facility and was sent home Thursday night, Varga said.

The ag department representative called the state's attorney's office and requested a search warrant, which was executed Friday, when Munroe was arrested and taken to jail.

She was uncooperative during booking and was treated for lice, fleas and other medical issues before being put in isolation, where "the female correctional officers went above and beyond to get her presentable for court," Varga said.

The Lee County Health Department has deemed her home "uninhabitable;" a hearing will be held to determine if it should be condemned.

A hearing will be scheduled within the next two weeks regarding the animals. If the court grants forfeiture, they can be auctioned or adopted, Bollman said.

Another hearing will be held regarding 11 dogs TAILS could not take because they exhibited aggressive behavior. Until the dogs are declared vicious, they will not be euthanized, Bollman said.

Source: Sauk Valley - Oct 17, 2007
Update posted on Oct 18, 2007 - 10:45AM

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Hoarding over 280 animals, 200 more found deadRochelle, IL (US)

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Hoarding over 280 animals, 200 more found dead
Rochelle, IL (US)