SALISBURY — A woman has been arrested after police say four animals in her care died due to starvation from negligence.

An investigator with Rowan County Animal Services initially responded to a home in the 100 block of Upland Trail on Nov. 21, 2023, to investigate reports of animal abandonment, a spokesperson with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office said. There, the investigator found chickens running loose on the property. Looking through a window, the investigator noticed three dogs that appeared to be emaciated and one that attempted to stand up but was unable due to its condition.

The investigator contacted the animals’ owner, who met them at the residence and said that no one had been able to care for the animals in about a month, according to the spokesperson. The owner let the investigator inside the home, where they saw puddles or urine and feces throughout the house. The three dogs were transported to the Rowan County Animal Shelter for treatment.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office was contacted on Friday by the District Attorney’s Office and asked to investigate the case further. A deputy with the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Apprehension Team contacted the veterinarian caring for the dogs and learned that the three dogs were as close to dying of starvation as possible without actually dying, the spokesperson said.

The sheriff’s office obtained warrants for seven counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty and seven counts of felony animal cruelty on Friday. The warrants were served on Saturday, and 24-year-old Grace Charlene Horne was arrested and taken before a magistrate, where she was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Deputies spoke with a neighbor on Tuesday and learned that the neighbors had attempted to care for the five chickens and three ducks that lived on the property. They had observed that the birds never had any food and that a pool that had provided water had been reduced to sludge for some time, according to the spokesperson. Three ducks and one chicken died, according to the neighbor. The sheriff’s office charged Horne with four counts of felony death by starvation due to the additional information.

She was taken before a district court judge for the felony charges and ordered not to have responsibility for any animals and released on another written promise to appear in court.

The three dogs that were taken to the shelter have been rehabilitated and adopted out to new homes, the spokesperson confirmed.