Two Maryland men face animal cruelty charges after an investigation discovered charred remains of several domesticated dogs on a Cumberland property.
The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office arrested 18-year-old Justin Uzonna Anabaraonye and 19-year-old Paul Tomas Baylor III on March 15 and charged them with multiple counts of animal cruelty.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were contacted on March 12 for reports of animal cruelty.
The deputies were presented with photographs of what appeared to be charred remains of domesticated dogs, which led to the launch of an investigation.
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Paul Thomas Baylor III and Justin Uzonna Anabaraonye face animal cruelty charges after the charred remains of seven dogs were found in a wooded area in western Maryland. (Allegany County Sheriffs Office)
As part of the investigation, detectives executed a search warrant on March 15 at a property in the 13000 block of Tulip Street in Cumberland, Maryland.
While searching a wooded area of the property, investigators discovered charred remains of seven dogs in what looked like a burn pile, the sheriff’s office said.
Skeletal remains of numerous other dogs were also located during the search of the property.
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Deputies enlisted the help of the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which deployed a K9 team to the property. As a result of the search conducted by the dogs, there was an indication that the suspects used some type of accelerant to start the fires.
The sheriff’s office turned the remains of the dogs over to the Humane Society of the United States to investigate and determine how they died.
Still, Baylor has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty, while Anabaraonye faces six counts, along with a single count of aggravated animal cruelty.
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Both men were remanded to the Allegany County Detention Center where they were held pending a bond review.
