Overview
- Kim Mitchell Shires, 65, and Brenda Marie Shires, 61, each face abandoning/cruelty to 25 or more animals (up to seven years), killing/torturing animals (up to four years), and a misdemeanor for improper disposal of dead animals (minimum 30 days).
- Officers responding Feb. 11 reported 69 animals alive at the Elms Road property—65 dogs and four cats—and 27 dead—26 dogs and one cat.
- Investigators described hazardous squalor with floors coated in waste, overwhelming ammonia odors, animals covered in fleas and excrement, bite wounds on many dogs, and garbage bags containing deceased dogs.
- Veterinarians euthanized one severely ill dog and treated survivors, and Genesee County Animal Control has begun clearing some animals for adoption after medical exams and forensic documentation.
- The couple was not at the scene and remains unlocated; authorities cite a prior Tennessee case tied to the pair, and the prosecutor called this the worst animal-cruelty case he has seen.