KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana woman has been arrested after images and videos posted to social media of cats and dogs being hanged and skinned were reported to police.
U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler in Indianapolis announced Wednesday that Krystal Scott was charged with two counts of making and distributing animal crush videos.
Minkler’s office said in a release that the images and videos were posted on Instagram and Tik-Tok and show the animals being tortured and “graphically” killed.
Police in Boise, Idaho, launched an investigation on June 16 after receiving information from people who had seen the photos and videos. Boise police contacted the FBI two days later and the agency attempted to identify the Kokomo woman in the photos and videos.
On July 14, agents using search warrants recovered animal parts and skulls. Live animals - three dogs, 12 cats and several lizards - also were found.
A cellphone used to produce and distribute the videos was seized.
The animals were obtained “at least in part” through online ads by owners “who were seeking to give away their unwanted pets for adoption,” according to Minkler’s office.
“It is unconscionable to think that any human being could possibly bring themselves to such acts upon an animal,” he noted in the release.
Minkler’s office said Scott was in federal custody but was not sure if she had an attorney. As of Wednesday evening, the Associated Press was unable to find a telephone number for Scott, who faces up to seven years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted of the charges.
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