Coroner: Cat's death ruled animal cruelty

LOUISIANA -- The forensic resources inside the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office are why it was tapped to get involved in the case of mutilated cat Charley by providing an animal autopsy, known as a necropsy, Tuesday.

"It's both to determine the likelihood that this was done by a person and not by an animal, and to find any other co-existing injuries," said Coroner Dr. Charles Preston.

 

While authorities are keeping the results confidential for now, they acknowledge what was found during the procedure did confirm Charley's death came at the hands of a human.

Over the weekend, the Covington Country Club Estates community canvassed the area for clues, while Sheriff Jack Strain answered a call from the Humane Society of Louisiana to make animal cruelty cases more of a priority. It starts with an anti-cruelty taskforce.

 

"On that taskforce will be experts, veterinarians, humane societies, animal control, and law enforcement," said Jeff Dorson with the Humane Society. "That's a good group of people with the same agenda to try and prevent animal cruelty and to capture those who are responsible for Charley and others."

Strain said, "Marry those two together, the investigative expertise of the detective, with added or additional training, to identify those types of patterns and behaviors is the best of all worlds."

The sheriff said the reason why it's important to elevate animal cruelty crimes to a higher level is because of the people who are committing them.

"We recognize, like the community was saying, that often times these types of crimes are just the first step to a growing pattern of behavior," he said.

That, coupled with bringing closure to Charley's family, is what's driving detectives to solve the case quickly.

The reward for information in this case is up to $1,800. Call the sheriff's office or the Humane Society of Louisiana if you have any information.

(WWL - Aug 19, 2015)

Earlier:

• Covington community horrified over cat found cut in half