Durham man faces animal cruelty charges after dead dogs found in home

Markeem Carlton Owens, 32, was indicted last month on five counts each of animal cruelty, abandonment of an animal and failure to dispose of a dead domesticated animal.

A Durham County deputy went to an apartment in the 2900 block of Rochelle Street on Oct. 14 to assist the apartment management with padlocking an apartment as part of an eviction. Upon entering the residence, the deputy noticed a strong odor of decomposition and feces and saw the bodies of two dead dogs, authorities said.

Animal Services officers were then called to the apartment, and they found another three dead dogs, authorities said. The animals included one adult and four puppies in varying stages of decay. In addition to the bodies, moldy food and piles of feces were seen throughout the unit.

The animals' remains were sent to a lab for necropsy but were too badly decomposed to determine the cause of death, authorities said.

"The Durham County Sheriff's Office understands that there may be a hardship for people during the eviction process. There is never an excuse to abandon a pet inside a residence," authorities said in a news release.

The sheriff's office recommended that Durham County residents who can no longer care for their pets turn them over to the Animal Protection Society of Durham, which operates an open-admission shelter. APS can be reached at 919-560-0640.