FORT MYERS, FL — A Fort Myers woman was arrested after a months-long investigation for leaving her dogs for dead in her backyard when she took a trip to Miami, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies responded to a home on Ninth Avenue in the Pine Manor area in March after receiving reports about two dead, decaying dogs in crates. Detectives found empty food and water bowls in the crates.
The dogs, Meme, a 1-year-old French bulldog, and Bubbles, a 6-year-old pit bull mix, died from heat stress, a necropsy showed, the sheriff’s office said.
The owner, Jamesha Rollins, didn’t arrange for anyone to care for the dogs while she was out of town.
She was charged with two counts of abandonment of animals and two counts of aggravated animal cruelty.