DETROIT (WWJ/AP) – Authorities say a teenage boy was responsible for the death and dismemberment of several dogs found six months ago in a Detroit basement.
The boy, who is in juvenile detention after being convicted in the case, was 14 at the time the dogs were found, according to a report by WXYZ-TV.
Court records say the boy killed at least five dogs by drowning or suffocation, watching some take up to an hour or so to die.
The east side home is apparently a rental property that the owners said was supposed to be vacant at the time dogs were being kept there.
The TV station toured the house on Laing Street with members of the Detroit Pit Crew dog rescue, where the remains of dogs and blood were seen.
“This youngster did make a full confession that he not only mutilated dogs, but he had also been torturing them in numerous other ways,” said Terri Sumpter, with the dog rescue.
The boy told investigators that he would steal the dogs, and sometimes they were family pets. He said he would tie the dogs’ legs together and put their heads under water, or tie a bag over their head — and then watch as they take their final breaths, according to court documents.
“It’s horrible to think that a child is capable of that type of cruelty to animals,” Sumpter told the TV station.
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