WESTMINSTER, TEXAS: Following the discovery of 24 dogs and 12 horses dead on her property on Friday, a 22-year-old Texas woman was detained on felony animal cruelty charges. According to the Collin County website, Rachel Sword, 22, of Westminster, Texas, is accused of abusing livestock animals as well as third-degree felonies for cruelty to non-livestock animals.
According to FOX 4, which cited the arrest warrant affidavit, Sword resides on the property, which her grandparents own. Her grandparents told police that they have difficulty caring for their animals as they were aging and thought Sword was doing so.
Investigators located several deceased horses on the property
The affidavit reportedly said, "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." According to reports, some of the dogs were discovered dead in cages inside the RV Sword was residing in, while others were discovered in areas with no shade.
The Collin County Sheriff's Office reportedly said in a release, "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."
'It’s horrific. It’s unnecessary'
According to reports, Sword told investigators the animals belonged to her recently deceased husband, but she had been unable to care for them because of her depression. According to FOX 4, investigators connected 16 prior complaints of animal cruelty or neglect to the property after her arrest.
Deanne Murillo, a former volunteer animal cruelty investigator, is connected to many North Texas animal rescue groups. She resides only a few minutes' drive from the property. She claims she was shocked when she learned about the arrest through her neighborhood's Facebook group. She said, "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."
Sword is being held under a $85,000 bond
Care of animal services is currently being provided for a number of other animals discovered to be alive on the property, including two horses, two dogs, a cow, a snake, two frogs, and a bearded dragon. According to the Collin County website, she is still being held under a $85,000 bond. Animal services personnel are now taking care of the two dogs, two horses, a cow, a bearded dragon, a snake, and two frogs that were discovered alive on the property.
