A nurse in Florida has been arrested for killing her neighbors’ pets, reviews NBC affiliate WESH News. Tamesha Knighten allegedly poisoned two cats and a pregnant canine with a pesticide on Aug. 16, 2023. Knighten faces three counts of animal cruelty and one rely of depositing poison in a public place.
Lady poisons neighbors’ cats, pregnant canine for getting into her yard
In keeping with the neighbors, Knighten had threatened to kill their pets on a number of events in the event that they continued to enter her yard. Additionally they informed investigators the day the animals died, the girl yelled at their youngsters who had been enjoying outdoors.
When one of many cats began foaming on the mouth, Knighten reportedly informed the neighbors the feline will need to have swallowed a frog. In keeping with police, the 2 cats — Luna and Pancake — and the pregnant Chihuahua, Daisy, had been poisoned by Phorate, an insecticide.
“We noticed that considered one of them was in horrific distress, others had already died,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd mentioned. “The one which was in horrific misery died instantly.”
The felines handed away inside hours of one another, however the canine was lacking. By the point the neighbors discovered her, she had died. On the time of her dying, the canine was pregnant with eight puppies.
Investigators later obtained surveillance footage from Knighten’s yard. Upon reviewing it, they noticed the 51-year-old carrying blue gloves and holding a bowl, which contained meals. Knighten informed authorities she combined chicken along with her “particular seasoning,” which was later confirmed to be Phorate, to feed animals within the space.
Sheriff Judd mentioned samples from the bowl and the animals’ tissue needed to be despatched to 3 completely different universities. Therefore, it took the police a number of months to make an arrest.
“These folks misplaced their beloved pets in a most horrific means,” he mentioned. “And he or she misplaced her freedom by going to jail.” He additional described Knighten as “a cold-hearted particular person,” including “it’s laborious to think about how an individual within the medical area may do such a factor.”
Editor’s Word: This text has been cross-posted on our companion website, DogTime.com, and is revealed beneath the title “Pregnant Dog, Cats Poisoned With Pesticide.”
