Milwaukee staff and police continue to investigate dead animal homes

On Tuesday, Milwaukee city employees returned to a home under investigation for the deaths of more than 30 animals to search for microchips for the animals.

A week after workers found numerous dead animals and remains during a routine inspection of a tax lien, employees returned to the North Teutonia Avenue home. Since then, the home has become the scene of an animal cruelty investigation. On Tuesday morning, city employees searched for microchips – a permanent identifier for pets – in animal remains on the property to identify the animals and determine whether they belonged to the home’s resident or someone else.

Department of Neighborhood Services spokesman Jeremy McGovern confirmed that the city, which took possession of the property on June 14, was preparing the property for demolition of the house and that workers found microchips on the property. He said representatives from the city, the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission and police were at the property on Tuesday.

Police have not yet arrested anyone and no charges have been filed, Milwaukee police said in an emailed statement. Authorities are still searching for a known suspect, police said.

Last week, police said they had also seized several firearms in the house.

The animals were found last week when city Neighborhood Services employees were conducting an investigation into a tax lien. They found numerous dead animals, including dead dogs, birds and reptiles, mostly in the basement of the home.

During the investigation last week, there were signs that the property owner had been in the house that morning. When officers arrived, there were candles burning in the house, McGovern said.

On Tuesday, McGovern said, rescuers found at least 25 dead dogs, in addition to the three dogs in critical condition. The remains of some of the animals had already been found in bags. A rescued turtle was later euthanized, McGovern said.

“It was a surprise for all of us,” he said. “Something so ordinary can lead to such chaos.”

There is no clear timeline for demolishing the house, McGovern said, depending on several factors, including identifying gas or electrical lines and whether there is asbestos in the house. Once the house is demolished, the city will try to sell the property, he said.

City records show that in 2023, Milwaukee police reported three dogs left outside homes without food, water or shelter. They needed “urgent care,” the report said. A city inspector confiscated the dogs and turned them over to the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission for safekeeping, records show.

McGovern said without more complaints, there would not have been another inspection. He encouraged people to report cases of animal cruelty to the city.

“It doesn’t have to come to that,” he said.

On Tuesday, MADACC declined to comment on the investigation, saying it was still ongoing.

The investigation into the shelter is the first major animal cruelty investigation in Milwaukee in years.

In 2022, Larry McAdoo was charged with two felonies and 10 misdemeanors in connection with the treatment of 113 animals in his home. The animals were covered in their own feces, the dogs were malnourished and kept in pens without food or water. According to online court records, McAdoo eventually pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors in the case.

In 2012, Terry Cullen, a well-known reptile conservationist, pleaded no contest to an amended charge of fourth-degree sexual assault in a case involving the seizure of hundreds of animals on his property. He was accused of misdemeanors related to the housing of the animals.

Cullen was charged with these offenses or fourth-degree sexual assault, but was never convicted.

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