2 weeks ago
A California bartender has been accused of scamming dozens of bereaved pet owners by charging them immense sums for bespoke cremations earlier dumping nan animals successful a freezer amid a macabre crime activity crossed nan US.
Victims declare Nejyredth Velasquez, 38, and her partner Anthony Nunez, 35, of Oxnard, California, lied astir having their ain 'state of nan art' crematorium to dupe them retired of hundreds of dollars for services that included providing paw prints and different keepsakes.
In reality, they had nary specified point and successful immoderate cases owners were forced to retrieve nan rotting remains of their beloved companions successful a bin container aft they sewage upwind of nan scheme.
It comes amid a disturbing inclination successful which animal remains person been recovered successful deserts, trucks and wide graves, DailyMail.com tin reveal.
In 1 shocking case, a female was arrested aft allegedly dumping 25 bags of animal carcasses successful the Utah desert.
California bartender Nejyredth Velasquez is accused of scamming dozens of bereaved pet owners retired of hundreds of dollars by promising bespoke cremations that were ne'er delivered
One of Velasquez's clients, Robert Balog, 44, (left) said he had to retrieve nan stiff remains of his feline Stewie (right) astatine a parking batch weeks aft his ashes should person been returned
Jaqueline Alonso, 36, pinch her canine Spot, and Gabrielle Real, 23, and her feline Hela, are besides among up to 80 of nan alleged victims of Velasquez's 'scam'
Meanwhile, a Kentucky businessman has been charged aft nan rotting remains of half a twelve pets were recovered successful nan backmost of his truck.
Police declare nan twisted crook lied astir having a crematorium and handed backmost actual operation and feline litter successful urns to owners alternatively of ashes.
And successful Colorado, 2 veterinarians have accused a crematorium of burying pets successful wide graves and dumping bodies astatine landfill sites.
It is thought hundreds of victims whitethorn person fallen prey to unscrupulous operators who are taking advantage of a mostly unregulated manufacture crossed America.
Donna Shugart-Bethune, executive head astatine nan International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories (IAOPCC), based successful Atlanta, Georgia, said 'egregious stories' were rife passim nan industry.
'These group are taking advantage of grief,' she told DailyMail.com.
The tales scope from negligent business practices to outright scams and cruelty.
It is thought that location are astir 700 pet aftercare accommodation successful nan US, of which little than half are accredited by nan IAOPCC.
It intends pet owners are often caught retired by fly-by-night operators who complaint hundreds of dollars for bespoke cremation services that are ne'er delivered.
Dozens of pet owners declare they were fleeced by We Care Pet Cremations, nan patient tally by Velasquez and Nunez.
The company's website promised 'true backstage cremations successful a authorities of nan creation caller machine', alongside paw prints and different bespoke offerings.
It besides promised connection passim nan full process, which included postulation of nan pet and nan return of their ashes successful an urn to nan owner.
But Robert Balog, 44, ended up having to spell to a Best Buy parking batch to prime up nan remains of his beloved tabby feline Stewie, who had been stuffed into a bin container aft We Care grounded to transportation retired nan $560 cremation.
Robert said We Care were speedy to respond to his query and collected Stewie from his location successful Van Nuys connected nan aforesaid day.
But arsenic soon arsenic they had taken payment, We Care became uncontactable, Robert claims.
Jacob Jetton was arrested aft after nan remains of half a twelve pets were recovered successful nan backmost of his truck. Police declare he gave actual operation and feline litter successful urns to owners alternatively of ashes
His friend, Tory Duchene, who had helped look aft Stewie, past started to badger nan institution erstwhile they were near without news for weeks.
Her calls would spell to voicemail until she was yet blocked.
It was only erstwhile Tory started posting online astir nan shoddy work that We Care sewage successful touch, agreeing to meet successful nan Best Buy parking lot.
Stewie had not been cremated erstwhile Robert picked him up, contempt We Care's erstwhile assertions that he had.
He remembers winding down nan windows of his car arsenic nan putrid smell of Stewie's three-week aged star filled nan aerial connected nan hour-long travel home.
'It was specified a shady scenario,' Robert said. 'They return advantage of you erstwhile you are successful an affectional authorities and don't return nan clip to do nan due owed diligence.'
Tory was subsequently contacted by dozens of pet owners who had mislaid trace of their pets aft hiring We Care.
Victims declare that nan firm, alternatively of cremating nan pets themselves, had dumped betwixt 50 to 80 dormant pets astatine different crematorium, Furrever Friends, pinch nary interaction accusation for nan owners.
Other bodies were simply stuffed successful a freezer for weeks connected end, it is alleged.
Gabrielle Real, 23, from Hollywood, said she had to retrieve her dormant feline Hela from Furrever Friends much than a period aft she hired We Care, who had besides blocked her.
She ne'er received nan urn aliases necklace that was portion of nan $309 work she had paid for.
Similarly, Jacqueline Alonso, 36, from Huntingdon Park, paid $227 for a package that was expected to see a paw people mold of her chihuahua, Spot, but was forced to cod nan ashes from Furrever Friends six weeks aft hiring We Care.
'This is not astir laziness, it's a full scam,' she said. 'They're taking advantage of group who person conscionable mislaid their canine aliases cat.
'You're beautiful susceptible astatine that moment, your caput is everywhere.
'It's not conscionable a canine aliases cat, it's portion of your family. It's nan aforesaid condolences you would person for a family member.'
Tory said immoderate pet owners she had spoken to had paid arsenic overmuch arsenic $1,600 for a bespoke work but it took a twelvemonth for them to get their ashes.
Others had ne'er managed to trace their pets, while 1 had been fixed nan ashes of another, she claimed.
'They're lying to people,' Tory said. 'They declare that they are performing nan cremations and that they activity pinch each these section veterinary hospitals, but they don't.
'They're not moreover performing nan cremation. They're conscionable outsourcing and abandoning nan pets.'
We Care has since ceased operating, but Tory now fears nan business has restarted nether a caller name, Honorable Animal Aftercare, aft she received an invoice nether that name.
DailyMail.com has contacted We Care for a response.
Deputy Lindsey Miller of McCracken County Sheriff's Office successful Kentucky investigated Jetton
Deputy Lindsey Miller, an animal cruelty master astatine McCracken County Sheriff's Office successful Kentucky, was called into action successful March past twelvemonth pursuing reports of a bad smell successful a portion promenade successful nan metropolis of Paducah.
One of nan shop owners was concerned that a man called Jacob Jetton, who owned a euphony shop successful nan mall, was besides moving a 'weird' pet crematorium.
When investigators arrived astatine nan scene, they recovered half a twelve dormant animals rotting successful nan backmost of Jetton's truck.
Miller told DailyMail.com nan remains had been location for up to 3 weeks aft they were meant to person been cremated.
To complete nan twisted scheme, Jetton had been returning actual operation and feline litter successful nan guise of ashes to nan bereaved owners, Miller said.
'They are pets, but to astir of these people, they are their babies, and it was heartbreaking,' she added.
Police recovered nary motion that Jetton possessed immoderate cremation accommodation erstwhile they searched nan spot wherever he claimed he had been carrying them out.
Instead, they recovered only a disused barn, abandoned cars and a trailer.
It is thought Jetton ensnared astir 14 victims successful total.
He has been charged pinch aggregate offenses including theft by deception and disorderly conduct.
Perhaps astir distressing of each was nan find of 25 bags of animal remains successful nan godforsaken adjacent St George, Utah.
The bodies were successful specified an precocious authorities of decomposition that it was difficult to separate betwixt dogs and cats.
But investigations revealed that galore belonged to clients of First Call Pet Cremation successful Las Vegas, owned by Rick Senninger.
Washington County has revenge charges against McKenzie Frei, who is alleged to person been hired by Senninger to cremate nan animals, but alternatively dumped them connected nan broadside of a road.
There are nary charges pending against Senninger - Washington constabulary said he had not carried retired activities successful their county.
Senninger said that he stopped accepting caller customers and assisted rule enforcement erstwhile he became alert of Frei's actions.
Meanwhile, 2 Colorado veterinarians person sued a pet crematorium claiming it buried pets successful wide graves alternatively of providing nan bespoke cremations they charged for.
Edwards Veterinary Care and Western Skies declare that Precious Memories Pet Cemetery & Crematory disposed of animal carcasses astatine a landfill and successful wide graves erstwhile nan vets had asked for nan bodies to beryllium cremated, according to a suit revenge successful Larimer County successful January.
Samantha Staggs, nan head of Precious Memories, said successful a connection that nan patient was 'shocked' to study of nan allegations and maintained that it was successful 'full compliance pinch each laws and regulations'.
Shugart-Bethune, of nan IAOPCC, said it was captious pet owners did their owed diligence earlier selecting an aftercare provider.
She said IAOPCC accredited operators guaranteed 'full disclosure of nan pet recognition and search process'.
