MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (TCN) —Â A 37-year-old woman has been charged with four counts of torture to inflict pain or serious physical injury on an animal after deputies allege she buried several live kittens in her yard.
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a mobile home park on Oct. 8 after a homeowner, Alba Chavez, said she buried at least four cats alive because she believed they were demons. Responding deputies rescued two of the animals, but two were found dead, and Chavez was taken into custody.
The following day, Sheriff John M. Budensiek provided an update on the case and gave more details. He said that according to juveniles in the home, Chavez had allegedly thrown two kittens in the trash, taken them out, and then buried them. The juveniles then tried to keep the three other cats out of Chavez’s way, including locking them in a bedroom. When the juveniles got home from dinner, they saw the door had been broken open. The deputies then responded to the home.
Budensiek said deputies spoke to Chavez and she claimed she did not want black or brown cats at her residence because she thought they were demons, and then allegedly showed deputies where she had buried several kittens. As they were digging, they heard the cries of the kittens they were able to save. Budensiek said one of the five kittens is still unaccounted for.Â
Chavez was charged with four counts of torture to inflict pain or serious physical injury on an animal and is being held without bond, according to the sheriff’s office. The children in the home have been turned over to the custody of their father.Â
The investigation is ongoing.
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