A nurse was arrested in Polk County in US state of Florida for killing neighbour's two cats and a pregnant dog. The killings had taken place on August 16 last year. However, the accused nurse, identified as 51-year-old Tamesha Knighten, was taken into custody on January 4. Knighten, who worked for United Health Care at Wellmed in Lakeland, also murdered eight puppies in the dog's womb.
According to a report of The Mirror, the sudden deaths of the two cats, Luna and Pancake, and pregnant dog, Daisy, prompted an investigation into the killings of pet. In August last year, the pets' owners found Luna and Pancake chocking and in pain. The felines were also foaming at their mouths. The owners then started searching for their dog and later found her dead. It was alleged that Knighten poisoned the pets with pesticide.
The owners told the police that Knighten had threatened to poison their pets if they continues entering her yard. During the probe, the cops analysed footages from Knighten's home surveillance camera. In one of the videos, she was seen wearing rubber gloves and mixing what she called her "special seasoning" in a bowl of chicken strips.
'Special Seasoning' Was Phorate
The cops collected samples from the bowl and pet animals, and sent them to labs for tests. The results confirmed that "special seasoning" was Phorate, a pesticide. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd addressed a press conference and shared the details of the case. On the delay in arrest, Judd said it took time to get the results as samples were sent to labs at three different universities.
'Cold-Hearted Person'
Judd described the accused nurse as a cold-hearted person and urged people to never harm animals. "It takes a cold-hearted person to poison and kill two cats and a pregnant dog – it’s hard to imagine how a person in the medical field could do such a thing," he was quoted as saying.
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