The Stephens County Humane Society in Oklahoma sees their fair share of animal abuse and neglect cases, but board members were shocked by what they recently witnessed in Marlow. Kelly Nelson and Patti Whitaker are board members of the Stephens County Humane Society who traveled to a suspected puppy mill on behalf of the organization.
“It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Nelson said. “We were called by the sheriff’s department because of the number of animals and because they had no water, no food, and no shelter.”
Deputies in Marlow obtained a search warrant and found 165 dogs on the property, many of whom were kept in tiny cages stacked on top of one another. As they continued their search, the body of 31-year-old Ashley Nicole Anderson was located in an “outbuilding.” At that time, 49-year-old Karen Jean Prichard was arrested and charged with suspicion of second-degree murder and animal cruelty.
“We believe the victim lived at the same address and may have been there to help with the dogs,” Stephens County Sheriff Wayne McKinney shared.
McKinney reported the dogs were relocated and would be transported to various shelters in the area. According to the Facebook page of More Than Pets, all of the puppy mill dogs have been transported. More information about fostering or adopting them can be found by contacting the Stephens County Humane Society. For more about this case, please press play on the video below.
H/T: KFOR, Marlow Review