A young Texas woman was arrested on felony animal cruelty charges this Friday after a trove of dead animals was found on her property.
The beginning of the end for Rachel Sword, 22, started earlier in the week when the Collin County Sheriff’s Office received a tip about dead horses at her home, according to local station KDFW.
“Deputies went to the property and discovered it is owned by Sword’s elderly grandparents. She was living in an RV parked on the side of their house. According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Sword’s grandparents said they have trouble getting around and assumed she was caring for all of her animals,” the station reported.
But when the deputies went searching around the property, they discovered the unthinkable: dead dogs in cages with no food or water, in addition to dead dogs in pens that reportedly had no shade from the steaming sun.
They also found dead horses.
“Investigators located several deceased horses on the property. The decay on the horses ranged from completely skeletonized to partially skeletonized with skin and fur, generally indicating the deaths were not recent,” the arrest warrant affidavit says.
In total, investigators found 12 dead horses and 24 dead dogs.
The affidavit reportedly further notes that Sword claimed that her husband, who’d died several weeks earlier, owned the animals.
As for why she wasn’t taking care of them, she blamed depression. The excuse did not work, in part because investigators later learned that 16 animal cruelty complaints had been filed against the property since 2019.
Sword was ultimately arrested, charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals, and booked into jail on a $85,000 bond.
“Collin County is committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of all animals throughout the county, and incidents such as this are taken very seriously. The Collin County Sheriff’s Office has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the abandonment or cruelty to animals,” the Collin County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Deanne Murillo, a neighbor who just happens to be affiliated with several Texas animal rescue organizations, was horrified by what happened.
“It’s horrific. It’s unnecessary, and I’m so pissed. I would like to see her slapped as hard as possible through the law,” she told KDFW.
This sort of sentiment is shared by many:
That makes me sick!
— Texascorgimom (@texascorgimom) August 4, 2023
Time to give her the same punishment as those animals.
— Paul (@Paul58832154) August 4, 2023
Looks like she had plenty of money to have her hair styled.
— John (@John22944494) August 4, 2023
Put her in a cage with no shade, food or water and see how she likes it.
— Blaney Eathorne (@BlaneyEathorne) August 4, 2023
You harm and cause the death of an animal – in her case – an eye for an eye.
Dozens dead?
Skip the jail time.
Otherwise, put her in the worse possible prison in Texas, throw her in gen pop and let the lifers know they have fresh meat. Guaranteed, she won’t last long.
— Robert L. Ross (@rlross1765) August 5, 2023
Luckily, a few animals were found alive —Â two dogs, two horses, a cow, a bearded dragon, a snake, and two frogs. Though God knows how much longer they would have survived had someone not complained to the authorities.
The same week that this happened, police in New York arrested a couple for 22 counts of animal cruelty related to the treatment of 10 dogs, 10 cats, and two rabbits.
“Troopers went to an apartment on Sylvan Street in the Village of Richfield Springs on another matter on July 19, 2023 and ultimately discovered 22 animals inside were in living in crowded and filthy conditions,” local station WKTV reported.
“After an investigation, Troopers arrested Kenneth M. Powers, age 65 of Bedford, PA and Chelsie L. Glouse, age 28 of Bedford, PA. Each were charged with 22 counts of the New York State Agriculture and Markets Law of Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance,” according to the station.
Also this same week, another couple was arrested in Pennsylvania on similar charges.
“According to the Wayne County District Attorney, on July 28, around 5:45 p.m., the Humane Society Police Officers were called about dogs roaming around a camper in Hamlin. The caller stated there were approximately 10 dogs and other animals with skin and bones and the trailer smelled like death,” according to station WBRE.
When the authorities arrived at the trailer, they found dogs running free and the living conditions “deplorable,” with the animals either malnourished or already dead and decomposing.
“Zackariah Sheatler and Morgana McGee, of Lake Ariel and Carbondale were arrested as the suspects involved in the abuse. Police said Sheatler admitted to killing a dog by strangulation and admitted to killing other dogs in Carbondale,” the station notes.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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