BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A Florida woman was arrested Wednesday after an investigation found that she neglected her dogs, then threw their bodies in a trash bin when they died, police said.
Devonna Hinds, 23, is charged with animal cruelty and improperly disposing of animals, according to court records.
A cleaning crew found the bodies inside pet crates that were tossed in the trash in November, and called Boynton Beach police.
Hinds adopted the dogs — a white miniature poodle named Paris and a white/brindle pit bull named Karma — and kept them in plastic crates , the South Florida SunSentinel reported.
A necropsy found that Paris lost 5% of her body weight and Karma lost 20% of her body weight under Hinds' care, an arrest report said.
The veterinarian concluded that the dogs were “neglected over a long period of time and deprived of basic life-sustaining needs, specifically food, water and medical care,” the report said.
Hinds told police she found the dogs dead when she returned from vacation Nov. 22. Microchips linked them to Hinds.
Animal Cruelty Investigator Liz Roehrich called it one of the most disturbing cases she’s worked in her 27 years with the Boynton Beach Police Department.
“These dogs experienced extreme suffering, and then their bodies were tossed in a dumpster like yesterday’s trash," Roehrich said in a statement. "We are grateful to the cleaning crew who discovered them and called us.”
An attorney wasn't listed for Hinds on jail records.
