Three city youths were charged with animal cruelty in the brutal slaying and ritualistic disposal of a kitten.
From what investigators have learned, the youths -- 11, 12 and 14 years old -- were in a Millville park Monday when a woman offered each of them a kitten.
They took the brown and gray tabbies back to a Fourth Street residence where one of the youngsters lives. Things spiraled out of control when one youth tossed the kitten belonging to another out of a second-floor window, according to the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The youngsters headed downstairs, where the youth retaliated by picking up the alleged cat-thrower's kitten by the tail and fatally smashing its head into ground, officials said.
After watching it die, the youngsters buried the kitten in shallow grave.
On Wednesday, the trio revisited the gravesite and dug up the kitten corpse, officials said. They wrapped it in toilet paper and set the feline on fire.
Witnesses told police the youngsters sang "Amazing Grace" over the burning body.
The SPCA voiced concerns about the youngsters' total disregard for life. "For these young children to act like this is appalling," said Bev Greco, who oversees SPCA investigations. "What is going on in these kids' minds?"
Investigators haven't been able to track down the kitten that was thrown from the upper-level window. They're urging residents of the Fourth Street area to help them find the kitten, which may be injured. The third kitten also is missing. The SPCA at (856) 691-1500 References« Back to Search Results
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