8 Newborn Kittens Found Slaughtered In Ronkonkoma
RONKONKOMA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Who would do such a thing?
A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a kitten killer on Long Island.
Last Friday, the caretaker of a feral cat colony found eight newborn kittens brutally killed in Ronkonkoma. It is believed the animals were killed sometime between 10 a.m. on May 3 and 10 a.m. on May 4, according to the non-profit organization, Guardians of Rescue.
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"I just fell to my knees and cried," the caregiver, identified only as Lori, said. "It was just horrific."
"It's like coming into your home and finding your babies slaughtered. The injuries on these cats are horrific," Guardians of Rescue's Karen Svonik told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan. "Two of the mamas were sitting on the shelter, shaking together, the babies strewn about the colony. Somebody viciously pulled the babies out and proceeded to crush them with some type of object."
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Guardians of Rescue said their veterinarians determined all of the kittens died of massive skull trauma and blunt force to the body. Several of the animals also had "penetrating wounds" which were most likely caused by a "blunt pointed object being forced into the body and then pulled out", causing the deep tissue to stick out.
The injuries were not caused by an animal or other wildlife, according to veterinarians.
"Once we saw the vet report, and saw how these animals were tortured and slaughtered in such a depraved, sadistic matter, we are obviously doing an active investigation," Suffolk SPCA Chief Roy Gross told McLogan.
"This person has to be caught," Lori said. " He brutalized eight helpless, little, innocent lives for no reason."
Half of the kittens were 3 weeks old; the others were only 3 days old.
The kittens' mothers -- "Chaps" and "Midnight" -- have been running from shelter to shelter searching for their babies since their bodies were recovered, Guardians of Rescue said.
"I found the two mothers huddling together, very frantic," Lori said.
Guardians of Rescue will continue to post updates on their Facebook page, where they have also uploaded several photos of the disturbing scene in hopes of bringing attention to the case.
"To come here and see something like this is just an outrage. Horrible. I would love to see this person caught, convicted and put in jail," said Frank Floridia, also of Guardians of Rescue.
Guardians of Rescue reported no threats to the cat colony, saying the community enjoyed the kitten family. The group recently rescued soldier dogs from Afghanistan and flew them to John F. Kennedy International Airport and said it had been riding a wave of happy emotions -- until now.
"There is a maniac loose in Ronkonkoma/Bohemia right now. That needs to be brought to justice. This is a very sick individual," said Matt Festa of Guardians of Rescue.
Experts said studies show those who torture and kill animals turn to violence against humans, reported CBS 2's McLogan.
On Wednesday night investigators were screening surveillance video from cameras mounted on the local warehouses.
Guardians of Rescue is offering $2,000 and the Suffolk County S.P.C.A. is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Anyone with information is asked to call the SPCA hotline at 1-631-382-7722 or Guardians of Rescue at 1-888-287-3864 or email info@guardiansofrescue.org.
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