Family cat among 21 dead animals found in South Bend alley

UPDATE: Protesters: Give South Bend man, Ares Lee Howard, max sentence in animal cruelty case

INDIANA -- A pet cat was among 21 dead animals discovered in a South Bend alley.

“We let our cat out one time, and he never came back,” said Rahmah Kelley, who lives in the 700 block of East Indiana. “Our neighbor was walking down the alley and then came and knocked on our door and said Kelley, ‘You know I think we found your cat, he’s dead in the alley.’”

The shocking discovery came Sunday. “It’s just terrible, I can’t believe that anybody would do this, it’s just unbearable,” said Rahmah.

An investigation conducted this morning determined that the animals had not been mutilated, but further study will have to be done to determine the exact cause of death and whether animal cruelty played a role.

“You cannot remove an animal from a trap and dispatch it however you like,” said Matt Harmon, Director of South Bend Animal Care and Control. “That’s where the animal cruelty comes into case.”

It’s believed that the animals in question were caught in small animal traps. Anyone with information about trapping in the neighborhood is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 288-STOP. The 21 dead animals included cats, squirrels, rabbits, and a possum. There were no dead dogs discovered in the alley.

“If these animals were being trapped how long were they kept in the trap did they die in the trap?” asked South Bend Police Lt. Scott Hanley. “Did somebody do something to them to cause their death and leave them in that location? That's what we need to find out.”

It will take the animal equivalent of an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Results could take up to two weeks.

(WNDU-TV - Mar 24, 2014)