Elderly couple found with stash of dead guinea pigs and dogs in car and hotel room
Some of the animals were being kept in plastic tote bags and boxes, police said
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Ten dead dogs and eleven dead guinea pigs were among the nearly 100 animals discovered in a couple’s car, hotel room and home in Nevada.
The grim discovery by the Boulder City Police Department came after a tip-off about animal abuse or hoarding spotted inside a car on Friday 29 March.
When officers pulled the vehicle over near Nevada Way and Jupiter Way, the occupants of the vehicle rolled down a window and the smell of dead animals leaked out of the car.
Inside were a variety of plastic tote bags and luggage, containing 51 guinea pigs and rabbits.
Eleven guinea pigs were already dead, while four more have since died.
“Our officers knew right away that something was wrong,” Lt Thomas Healing of the Boulder City Police Department said in a press release.
“The female suspect was concerned about other animals that they said were at their home and a hotel in Las Vegas, and immediately notified Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.”
When LVMPD officers got to the hotel room, they found thirty dogs inside. Ten were dead, BCPD said.
At the couple’s home, fifteen dogs and more guinea pigs were found.
“Veterinary treatment will likely cost thousands of dollars for these animals,” Ann Inabnitt, Supervisor of Boulder City Animal Control, added in the press release.
“We’re also finding that some of the pets are pregnant, so it may be weeks before we have an exact number of impounded animals.
“I appreciate the efforts of the person who called us with the tip as well as the quick response of officers to investigate.”
Local news outlet KSNV reported the couple charged as Timothy Miller, 79, and Carolyn Luke, 72, who both face eleven counts of torturing, injuring, abandoning or starving an animal.
According to BCPD, these are the couple’s first alleged offences, so they are down as misdemeanours. Further charges in Las Vegas could be filed as felonies.