Ohio Woman Faces Arrest For Posting Mutilated Cat Photo On Facebook
A southern Ohio woman posted a mutilated cat photo on Facebook and reportedly insinuated threats against humans. An investigation is ongoing into the alleged animal abuse case now going viral on social media. Confusion over the unnamed woman’s county of residence and where she was when posting the photo of the dead cat have created jurisdictional issues.
Both the Vinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Wellston Police Department are looking into the possible threats against folks the woman knows and possibly more cases of animal cruelty. Wellston Police Chief Tim Ackley told The Telegram News, the region’s leading newspaper, that the woman admitted to posting the photo of the bloody dead cat on Facebook, but did not intend for her comments about putting dead animals on the property of people she does not like, seriously. Vinton County Sheriff Shawn Justice is also involved with the investigation; the woman is believed to currently live in the rural county near Wellston.
Initial police reports indicate that the unnamed woman posted a photo of a dead cat with blood streaming from its mouth and what appears to be a wound on its shoulder, on Facebook. In the text box beneath the image the female suspect reportedly insinuated that she had shot the cat with a bow and arrow and then shot it in the face with a 20-gauge shotgun.
The unnamed woman also reportedly said that when she encounters unwanted animals she “gives them a forever home” in the garbage or driveway of people whom she thinks would “appreciate” it the most.
An excerpt from the dead cat Facebook post reads:
“I can only wait patiently until I have nothing to loose [sic] and can take care of unwanted humans in the same way.”
The woman also made a second Facebook post which included the photo of an opossum claiming she had run over the animal.
When speaking with a Jackson County Humane Society agent, who is also a Wellston police officer, the woman claimed that she actually did not kill the cat featured in the Facebook photo, but that the animal was already dead when she found it. The suspect also maintained that she was not serious when threatening to mutilate other animals and did not mean the comment about putting their carcasses on the property of others. She also alleged that the opossum was not really dead and had not been run over by a car.
Mental health professionals were called in to evaluate the suspect. The woman has allegedly been receiving threats from Facebook users who saw the mutilated cat photo and comments.
