VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. — A southern Indiana woman was arrested after officials say deceased, malnourished, and distressed dogs were found in her care.
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office and Vanderburgh County Animal Control were sent to a house on Mooring Road on July 9 for an animal welfare check.
Deputies smelled the “foul odor of something rotting” upon arrival to the home, according to the sheriff’s office. Feces, urine, and trash could be seen on the floors of the home when deputies looked in the windows.
Dogs inside the home appeared malnourished, in distress, and lethargic.
After getting a search warrant, animal control officers were able to remove five living dogs from the home. The sheriff’s office says the animals were covered in fleas and feces.
One deceased dog was found inside of a kennel in the house. Officials located several other deceased dogs in the residence as well.
Witnesses at the scene told investigators the woman who lived there, Shayna Burko, had not been at the house for weeks.
Deputies, with the help of the Warrick County Sheriff’s Office, were able to find Burko and arrest her for animal cruelty and neglect.
She admitted to detectives she was aware the dogs were still at the home and that she failed to care for them.
Burko has a prior conviction in Warrick County for cruelty to an animal.
