An Oklahoma woman, aged 34, has been apprehended following allegations of attempting to kill her daughter’s pet cat by placing it on a lit grill. Veronica Carrillo was arrested last month and is facing a felony charge of animal cruelty, according to court documents.
The incident occurred at Carrillo’s home in Moore, Oklahoma, approximately 10 miles south of Oklahoma City. On the afternoon of June 27, Carrillo’s 16-year-old daughter contacted the Moore City Police Department, claiming her mother had attempted to set her cat on fire. The teenager managed to rescue her pet and felt compelled to alert the authorities.
The young girl was visibly upset during the call, expressing her belief that her mother had placed her cat on the grill, according to Clint Byley, a digital media specialist with the Moore Police Department.
Upon arrival at the scene, officers found the cat alive but visibly distressed and injured from the near-burning experience. Byley noted that the cat’s whiskers were significantly singed from the heat or flames.
The daughter recounted to the police that she had been searching for her cat when she heard it crying loudly from outside the house. Upon investigating, she saw her mother near the lit grill before she fled the scene.
Police body camera footage, obtained by a local Fox affiliate, showed officers discovering what seemed to be a small animal carrier inside a black garbage bag in the backyard. The bag appeared to have melted onto parts of the carrier.
The video also captured the moment officers found Carrillo, who was hiding under an outdoor rug on her neighbor’s porch. Carrillo, who appeared to be under the influence, emerged from her hiding spot and walked unsteadily towards the officers. She spontaneously admitted to burning the cat, claiming it was necessary because she had to cook.
Neighbors informed local media that it was widely known Carrillo struggled with substance abuse and was often seen wandering the neighborhood late at night. One neighbor recounted an incident where Carrillo slept in her mother’s car at 4 a.m.
Since her arrest, Carrillo has been held at the Maricopa County Jail with a bond set at $100,000. Last month, a county judge ordered Carrillo to have no contact with her daughter, according to online court records.