West Virginia woman sentenced after dead cats found in freezer

CHARLESTON, Wv. (WOWK) – A West Virginia woman has pleaded guilty to animal cruelty charges after her landlord discovered multiple dead cats in her Charleston apartment.

Madeline Gourevitch was arrested in April.

Gourevitch’s landlord was checking on the property after discovering that the glass in the front door had been broken.

Upon entry, they found a dead cat close to the apartment entrance, according to the criminal complaint.

The landlord then decided to check the apartment for any other suspicious activity and noted that the residence had a foul odor.

A trash bag was found with what appeared to be a cat’s paw sticking out of it. After looking through the kitchen, more cats were also found in garbage bags inside her refrigerator and freezer.

Investigators believe the cats had been dead for a long period of time.

An examination conducted by the KCHA’s medical team found that the cat’s apparent cause of death was starvation.

In court Monday, she received a suspended six-month jail sentence, 20 hours of community service within the next 6 months, ongoing psyche evaluations with two per month, having no animals for 5 years, and a fine of $300 plus court costs of $160.25.

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