Charlotte woman charged after elderly dog found dead in neglect case: Records

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Charlotte woman has been charged with felony animal cruelty after an elderly dog was found dead in what Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police describe as severely neglected conditions, according to Mecklenburg County court documents.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control said officers responded to a call back on August 6 at a home on Amberly Lane. A man who occasionally does yard work at the home reported concern over the condition of multiple dogs on the property, records state. He told police he had discovered a dog that appeared to be dead inside a doghouse in the backyard.

Officers found the dog, a 13-year-old Rottweiler mix named “Princess Angel,” inside a kennel with no food or clean water, according to court records. An inspection of the scene revealed a water container filled with algae and no sign of recent feeding, authorities reported.

The homeowner, identified as Lisa Rios, 55, initially told officers that she had fed the dog the night before and claimed it had eaten well. She also said the dog wasn’t hers but belonged to a man who helped her around the house. She stated that she had been feeding the dog recently, but was not the legal owner. Several weeks went by before a necropsy report was released.

The report revealed that Princess Angel was severely underweight and showed signs of long-term neglect. The report noted that the dog’s body condition and other evidence were inconsistent with the timeline provided by Rios. While the exact cause of death could not be determined, the findings pointed to prolonged suffering and inadequate care.

Rios was arrested on Thursday, September 18, and charged with felony animal cruelty, specifically for killing an animal by starvation.

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