COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Police in Cobb County are looking for a woman accused of leaving her pet to die inside her apartment.
In that apartment, Cobb County Animal Services told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell they found two other pets near death, a cat and a dog.
Investigators went to check out the apartment after getting a tip, Newell learned. They found a dead bearded dragon inside.
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“The dog and cat both came in, they were both very near death,” Steve Hammond, Director of Animal Services, told Channel 2 Action News.
Inside the apartment, police found deplorable conditions, saying the woman left her animals inside for months.
“The person renting the apartment hadn’t been seen since January,” Hammond said. “Almost three months since they had last been seen.”
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Investigators said they got involved in the case in April after receiving a tip that the animals had been left alone in the apartment.
“We found the cat that was severely emaciated, also an emaciated dog and a deceased bearded dragon,” Hammond said.
The bearded dragon may have starved to death, investigators told Newell, and the cat and dog were visibly, severely underweight.
“They were what we call a one out of nine on the body condition scoring,” Hammond explained.
Now police are looking for the renter, Destiny Jackson, who is facing numerous charges, including aggravated cruelty to animals.
Hammond promised that the department “will hunter her down.”
cobb county Animal Services is urging pet owners to take advantage of the resources they offer to help prevent deaths of animals.
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