SC deputies called to storage unit for complaint of ‘stench.’ They found decomposing cats
One person was arrested for animal cruelty after South Carolina deputies found decomposing cats in a storage unit, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department announced Friday.
Deputies went to a storage facility at 811 Bookman Road in Columbia on July 28 around 8:30 p.m. after a person complained of a “stench” coming from a storage unit. Deputies couldn’t contact the manager of the facility, so the Richland County Fire Department helped access the unit, the sheriff’s department said.
Once inside, deputies found a large shopping bag with what they believed to be “multiple deceased cats.” But due to the level of decomposition, they couldn’t tell how many cats were inside.
Richland County Animal Control took the remains to a veterinarian. An X-ray of the shopping bag determined the shopping bag contained the remains of two dead cats. The corpses were transported to another veterinarian for necropsies.
The renter of the storage unit was 33-year-old Chelsie Poplawski, who was last known to have entered the unit on April 6.
Deputies charged Poplawski Friday with two counts of cruel treatment leading to the death of an animal. She was booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
The sheriff’s department thanked the Humane Society of South Carolina, Richland County Animal Control, the Richland County Fire Department and the veterinarians who assisted in investigating the “heinous” crime.
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This story was originally published August 3, 2024 at 1:30 PM.
