Hoarding - five cats found dead
Independence, MO (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, Sep 16, 2009
County: Jackson
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Sara E. McBride
An Independence woman was arrested and charged with 17 counts of animal abuse after police found a house full of cats and dogs dead or starving and covered with flea bites.
Prosecutors have charges 39-year-old Sara McBride with the animal abuse charges after receiving calls from neighbors saying the stench from the house, at 1110 Pacific Avenue, had grown to unbearable levels.
Police and animal control officials said they found five dead cats, a cat that was later euthanized, 10 live cats and one live, but very sick dog. Veterinarians said the cats died of starvation and flea anemia. They also said all 17 animals were starving, malnourished and flea infested. Many of the animals had infections from the flea bites.
"There's no excuse for cruelty to animals," neighbor Jacob Lendel said.
Lendel said neighbors have thought there was something wrong at the house and they wondered if something had happened to McBride.
"There's been a bad smell coming from over here, it smelled like something terrible," Lendel said.
KCTV5's Amy Anderson went to the house Wednesday and even though the animals were rescued a month ago, there are still feces and trash visible in the house. A strong stench and flea infestation is still visible.
McBride told police she's only been the the house a few times since her power was cut off in April. Police said she told them there were dead animals inside the house, but because of health and financial problems she couldn't do anything. References« MO State Animal Cruelty Map
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