Man arrested after 19 dead dogs found at home in Raleigh County

RALEIGH COUNTY, W.Va. (WVNS) — An elderly man was arrested after 19 dead dogs were found on his property in West Virginia.

According to a criminal complaint, on Thursday, July 3, West Virginia State Troopers responded to a call for a welfare check in Raleigh County. The person who called reported a strong smell of decomposition and said they had not seen the property owner, identified as 72-year-old Curtis Ransom, in multiple days.

When troopers knocked at the door, no one answered but they could hear multiple dogs barking in the home. They also noted the strong smell of decomposition that consistent with what was originally reported.

The responding trooper walked around the side of the home where he discovered a pile of dead dogs against the side of the home under a window. According to the criminal complaint, the dogs were believed to have been dead for an extended period of time.

The following day, on July 4, a search warrant was executed on the home. At the time of the search warrant being carried out, Curtis Ransom was placed under arrest. He reportedly told investigators that he was in possession of 24 dogs in total, 19 of which had allegedly died within the week.

During further questioning, Ransom reportedly said the dogs had been dying from some type of disease and that he had thrown some of the larger dead dogs out of his window and into a pile before putting lime on them. He also admitted to piling other dead dogs underneath a tree in his backyard.

The home was determined to be unlivable for both humans and animals. All remaining living animals were taken from the home and placed with animal control.

Curtis Ransom was arrested and charged with 19 counts of Animal Cruelty.