A dog trainer is facing charges after the body of English Bulldog "Knox" was found dead in her home, officials say.
Knox was the pet of Jerod Mayo, a former New England Patriots linebacker.
The Rhode Island SPCA said it found 5-year-old Knox's dead body on Sunday inside the home of dog trainer Ameila Ferreira, who lives in the Edgewood section of Cranston.
Ferreira is being charged by the Cranston Police Department with one count of obstruction for concealing evidence relevant to the investigation, the RISPCA said.
"Evidence revealed that Ferreira has known the whereabouts of Knox's deceased body for several weeks and intentionally concealed his body from authorities," the RISPCA said.
Ferreira could face animal cruelty charges pending results of a necropsy, the RISPCA said. The cause of Knox's death is currently unknown.
"Unfortunately, the answers we prayed for regarding Knox aren't ones we were ready to face," Mayo wrote in an Instagram post published Monday afternoon.
Knox went missing in late June while on a walk with a trainer at Joe's Rock, a conservation area located off 1500 West St. in Wrentham.
At the time, Wrentham police called the incident "mysterious."
"Strange, because we're told English Bulldogs aren't the running type, short legs, bad cardio, so even if Knox wandered, the expectation was he'd be found quickly. But...he wasn't," the statement read.
Police said Knox and another dog were being walked when the trainer had to focus on the other dog. Knox "simply vanished," police said in a statement on June 29, asking for public help with the case.
The trainer called police, the statement said, and a search of the area revealed no sign of Knox.
"Strange, because we're told English Bulldogs aren't the running type, short legs, bad cardio, so even if Knox wandered, the expectation was he'd be found quickly. But...he wasn't," the statement read.
Knox's collar was quickly found "a hop and a skip from where he was last seen," police said. The collar was in good condition, with no marks to suggest that it was removed forcibly. There was also no evidence that Knox became prey to another animal, police said.
Comments