Woman charged after 22 horses and a dog starved to death in Wake County

A 64-year-old woman has been charged with animal cruelty after 22 horses and a dog died of starvation in southern Wake County, the sheriff’s office said.

Janet Burleson was charged Wednesday, five days after neighbors found the dead animals on a 1.8-acre property at 10305 Fanny Brown Road, according to a spokesman for the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.

The charges were filed against Burleson “after days of interviews and help from the public,” the spokesman, Eric Curry, said in a news release.

The horses were locked in small pens without access to food or water, according to arrest records.

A Rottweiler dog was also found dead in a pen, records show. Another dog in the pen was found alive and is being cared for by animal control officials.

Investigators learned that Burleson owned the horses and took them over the summer to the Fanny Brown Road property owned by her parents, Curry said. A few months ago, he said, Burleson stopped caring for the animals.

Wake County property records show that Amos and Jean Lavender bought the property in 1983. In 2002, ownership shifted solely to Jean Lavender.

Curry told The News & Observer on Wednesday that no one has lived in the house on the property for 16 years, and that the home is uninhabitable because of mold.

Officials said Wednesday that necropsy reports showed all the animals died of starvation.

As that news spread on Wednesday, Curry said, Burleson’s brother “encouraged her to meet with investigators.” After an interview, Burleson was taken to the Wake County jail.

Burleson was charged with cruelty to animals and killing animals by starvation, both felonies.

This story was originally published January 24, 2019 at 8:23 AM.