This is so very disturbing. *warning*

Ohio Women Accused of Drowning Hundreds of Animals

Humane Society agents on Wednesday were searching for a woman wanted for animal cruelty. Prosecutors said Maureen McLaughlin admitted killing 650 puppies, dogs, and cats by drowning them in a trash can.

McLaughlin recently told authorities she would fill a trash can with water, put the animals in a crate, and place the crate in the water.

"She would keep fur from each animal that she killed and write the name and date and descriptions of the animals," said assistant city prosecutor Bill Hedrick.

Many of the animals MacLaughlin drowned since July 2002 were received through people thinking that she was a rescue.

"No one would expect this going on and basically she's just a mass killer of animals," Hedrick said.

Authorities were working to determine why McLaughlin killed the animals when they say she knew that what she did was wrong.

McLaughlin was charged with one count of animal cruelty because Humane Society agents recovered only one carcass.

Prosecutor Hedrick said he was concerned that she could be volunteering with local veterinarians or other rescues.





North Side woman jailed on animal cruelty charges in cat killings

Three more charges of animal cruelty were filed today against a woman who has confessed to killing 650 cats and dogs, and the Columbus city prosecutor's office expects to file more as soon as Wednesday.

Maureen McLaughlin, 56, of the North Side, didn't speak during her first appearance in court today. She is being held in Franklin County jail in lieu of posting $200,000 bail.

She is charged with a total of five counts of cruelty, each stemming from an instance in which she drowned a cat, authorities say.

“This woman is a menace to animals,'' First Assistant City Prosecutor Bill Hedrick told Environmental Judge Harland H. Hale. “When we first filed charges against her, she fled the jurisdiction.''

McLaughlin was brought to Franklin County jail yesterday; she had checked herself into a psychiatric ward at MedCentral Health Systems in Mansfield last week,

Hale asked public defender Tanya Flanigan if she was requesting a mental evaluation of McLaughlin. Flanigan answered, “She seems fine to me.''

How absolutely sickening. Can you link me to the original news articles please? I'd like to pass this on to the rescue groups I'm associated with.

Mentally and emotionally healthy people don't just go around killing things...

thAT is soooooo bad omg...

this woman has something mentally wrong with her :mad: :(