FULL: APD animal cruelty arrests

Good afternoon everyone and thank you for being here. My name is Carrie Chaudoir that's spelled c-a-r-e-y c-h-a-u-d-o-i-r. I am a commander over the Special Victims Investigations Division which includes animal cruelty. I want to take a moment today to recognize the outstanding work of our animal cruelty unit and in particular the work our detectives have done on these cases. Just in the month of September, our Animal Cruelty Unit filed 11 warrants that range from third-degree felonies to Class A misdemeanors. Animal cruelty investigations can be incredibly complex and challenging. They require patience, persistence, attention to detail, and a genuine commitment to seeking justice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Our detectives take that responsibility very seriously, and the work they do reflects our department's commitment to protecting the vulnerable and holding those responsible for cruelty accountable. I'm incredibly proud of the dedication and professionalism demonstrated by this team. Their work is a great example of the commitment our officers and detectives bring to serving our community every single day. I want to make it very clear that if you abuse an animal, you will be held accountable, investigated, and arrested for this crime. And if you know someone who has abused or is abusing an animal, you have a duty to report. Please do the right thing. With that, I'd like to turn it over to Detective Esquivel, who will walk you through the details of the specific investigation. Thank you. Good afternoon. I'm Detective Esquivel with the Austin Police Department's Animal Cruelty Unit. I've been asked to come and speak on a recent case that happened on August 31st, 2026. The facts are, on August 31st, 2026, Officer Madsen and Officer McDowell responded to an animal origin call regarding a dog that reportedly was roaming around the neighborhood for approximately one week. During their investigation, the officers went beyond simply addressing a loose dog and took the initiative to investigate concerns regarding animals being kept inside a garage. Officers identified the owner of the dog as Nelson Egwub. After obtaining owner's consent, they checked his garage and discovered extremely poor living conditions, including excessive heat, light ventilation, and significant accumulation of urine and feces. Officers located one underweight dog that was chained and a second deceased dog inside a metal kennel. The officers immediately provided the surviving dog with food and water and contacted our investigative unit. I responded to the scene and assumed responsibility over the animal cruelty investigation. The two surviving dogs were transported to the Austin Animal Center to receive veterinary examination The deceased dog was secured as evidence and identified as Jimmy. On September 2, 2026, animal cruelty specialists Schwettman and I transported Jimmy's deceased remains to Dr. Estep at Texas Veterinary Pathology for a necropsy. The necropsy documented that Jimmy was thin with a body condition of 2, 5 being ideal, had minimal subcutaneous fat, and had sunken eyes, dry, tacky tissue consistent with dehydration. Overall, the history and necropsy findings were most significant to suggest heat exposure, potentially compounded white dehydration, poor body condition, and chronic renal disease. Based on the totality of the investigation, two warrants were signed for cruelty to non-livestock involving two dogs named Jimmy and Jane. Two surviving dogs were, the two surviving dogs that were transported to the Austin Animal Center are currently receiving veterinary care and will potentially be placed for adoption. Do you have any questions? So we receive, like any other call, a 911 call. It is vetted and ultimately they will determine whether an officer needs to respond or not. You can report it both to 911 or 311. We also receive reports through our email address, which will be displayed here in a second. Are 11 cases in a month unusual, and how does that compare to other months? That is slightly above average, so yes, it is. How is APD working with local shelters to make sure these animals are in place, that they have space to heal after being abused or cruelty? Animals that are involved with our cases are housed at the Austin Animal Center. where they have specific kennels where they will receive medical treatment for as long as it takes. We do work with Austin Pets Alive as well. Once they are determined to be healthy enough, they will be placed for adoption. And where do the funds come from for these treatments for the animals? That is a great question, and we can get back with you on that. Yes. Ladies first, please. Okay. You said obviously these cases are challenging because animals don't have a voice. What are some of the challenges that you guys face when it comes to cases like this? Ultimately, they take time. It takes time to gather information, getting our necropsies, documenting everything properly, and that's ultimately what our investigative unit wants to complete. We do want to see these crimes prosecuted. So ultimately, just gathering the information takes significant time, getting veterinarian examinations, sometimes securing funding for these examinations like our necropsy. Can you tell us what neighborhood this happened? North Austin. No specific. Oh, okay. Perfect. Thank you. No worries. Any other questions? I know that sometimes people call, make animal welfare calls to either the PD or 311. There isn't always someone available. Is the team that's responsible for animal welfare always suspended? So currently right now our staffing is two detectives and one specialized individual. We do have an individual that is on call 24-7, and so currently we are receiving our reports, and as soon as we do it we try to do a follow-up as soon as possible. Is it one instance or two instances? Sorry, can you rephrase that? She was confused on if this has happened once or twice. So this is one instance with two animals, well, ultimately three animals, two surviving and one deceased.