A Boone County woman has been arrested after a deputy discovered dogs at her residence had gone nearly two weeks without water and one of them had already died, and children at the home had direct access to the neglected and deceased dogs. Nine charges have been filed against 37-year-old Mikenda Mikayela Tilton of rural Harrison.
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy responded to a call for an animal welfare check of five dogs living in a small pen with no food or water and one was possibly deceased.
The deputy asked Tilton when the dogs were last fed and she told him the previous day. He asked how often she feeds them and she stated she tries to feed them every day but there are days she doesn’t.
The deputy asked if the dogs had access to water and Tilton said they did. But, upon inspection, the barrel used for watering the dogs was dry. After talking to Tilton, it was determined it had been nearly two weeks since the dogs had received water.
The deputy noted the dogs were severely underweight, their ribs and spines were showing, their sides were sunken, their eyes were dry and recessed and their noses and gums were dry and sticky.
The deputy only observed four dogs and was told there were five. Tilton told him the fifth dog died the previous week and she left it in the dog house. The deputy noted the deceased dog was in an advanced state of decomposition and the other dogs were housed in the same enclosure and had access to the carcass.
The remaining dogs were seized by the sheriff’s office.
Tilton told the deputy she is unable to care for the animals, but the deputy later learned she has been offered assistance on at least two separate occasions, once with feeding them and once with rehoming them.
The deputy also noted there are four children living with Tilton who have direct exposure to the neglected animals along with the deceased dog.
Tilton is facing five felony counts of aggravated cruelty and four misdemeanors of endangering the welfare of a minor. She is free on $10,000 bond.
Her first court appearance was Tuesday. She is scheduled for a jury trial Jan. 5.
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