MISSISSIPPI -- A 3 On Your Side investigation revealed new details about a shocking animal cruelty case that first made its appearance on Facebook. The posts contain images of a cat burned alive, along with profanity-laden posts by someone named Shay Houston.
"I swear I do not like animals but the hate I have for CATS!" one post said. "Burn, little mf, burn."
The comments and status updates paint a picture of what happened days ago, according to her: a stray cat came into her yard repeatedly, so she taught it a lesson, by setting it on fire.
The screen grabs made their way to our Facebook page, and also got the attention of the Jackson Police Department.
However, Officer Colendula Green said they didn't know if the act even happened in the city limits. The name "Shay Houston" didn't return a Jackson address.
Essentially, the investigation hit a standstill, until we uncovered another detail: the woman's real name and address.
That led us to her Lake Forest Drive home.
Her mother said she knew nothing about a cat being set on fire.
She told us her daughter, who refused to come outside, didn't want to talk about it at all.
Other neighbors tell us the community is crawling with cats.
"I had to call animal control a couple of months ago," said Cynthia Thomas. "I had to get two cats down from my attic. They were small little old kittens."
Thomas lives a few houses down from Houston, and told us that feral cats, like the one on Facebook, are more than just a problem.
"It's really a hazard, health hazard situation, because you don't know what those cats are up to in your attic," added Thomas.
Now police are working a new lead in the case, one our investigation provided; the identity of the woman behind the profile.
JPD has to prove, beyond those posts, that the woman did set the animal on fire, an act of animal cruelty considered a misdemeanor in Mississippi.
(Mississippi News Now - Aug 31, 2015)
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