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Writer's picturevoiceforus
Aug 5, 20233 min read

RACHEL ANN SWORD arrested after dead dogs and horses were found on a Collin County property

- Texas, USA -


On Friday August 4, 2023, The Collin County Sheriff’s Office arrested 22-years-old RACHEL ANN SWORD (pictured) after several animals were found deceased and some of them were still chained in cages at a property on Graybill Road in Westminster.


Before SWORD’s arrest, the authorities were alerted to the situation multiple times.

Fox 4 Dallas-Forth Worth reports that the sheriff’s office said, “since 2019 there have been sixteen calls of animal complaints or animal cruelty to this exact home.”


According to CBS News Texas, a family of landscapers made the gruesome discovery and reported it to the authorities “more than once.”


After the sheriff’s office followed up the complaint, investigators along with Collin County Animal Control executed a seizure warrant on the property on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.


Officials found twenty-four (24) dead dogs “in advanced states of decomposition”, as well as the remains of twelve (12) horses.

“The decay on the horses ranged from completely skeletonized to partially skeletonized with skin and fur, generally indicating the deaths were not recent,” stated the affidavit.


Two dogs, two frogs, two horses, one cow, one lizard, and one snake were found alive and placed in the care of Animal Control.


CBS News Texas identified the landscapers as Mike Watrous and his step-son Alston Mays.

Mr. Mays explained to the news agency that they were hired to trim trees and clean up trash.

He said: “We talked to the lady—my boss did...She was saying that there was a dead dog in the back somewhere.”


She obviously lost count of the deceased animals lying around.


Mr. Mays further told CBS News Texas that wherever he looked there were decomposing dogs in cages. Mr. Mays went on to say: “They had a pen in the middle of the yard, no shade, no nothing—dead dog in there...There was a dead animal in each cage.”

At that point the crew called the authorities.


Mr. Watrous told CBS News Texas that his wife called authorities on one occasion after the crew found a dead dog in the yard but it’s unclear whether that incident was ever investigated.

Three years later, the crew shows up to do some work and found themselves in a grisly scenario.


According to FOX 4, the affidavit states that the property belongs to SWORD’s grandparents and they assumed their granddaughter was taking care of the animals. Investigators were pointed to the RV SWORD lived in on the east side of the home. Inside the RV, investigators found more dead dogs.


When the search warrant was executed on Tuesday, SWORD told investigators that she and her daughter were living in the RV. She admitted she was in charge of caring for the animals but blamed depression due to her husband’s recent suicide for not feeding them.


SWORD was charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals, a third-degree felony and cruelty to livestock animals/abuse, a state jail felony.

Online records show SWORD is being held in the Colling County Jail on a $85,000 bond.


The sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing.


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.

Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.



SWORD’s mugshot shared from the Collin County Jail.


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Writer's picturevoiceforus
May 13, 20234 min read

Pope Francis refuses to bless a dog and brags about it at a conference on Italy's birth rate

- Rome, Italy -


Oh boy, I am so furious that for the first time, my usual personal opinion that I add to the end of each article is going to be longer than the story itself!


On Friday, May 12, 2023, Pope Francis was at St. Peter’s Square in Rome to attend the third edition of Stati Generali della Natalità (a conference discussing Italy’s declining birth rate). The Italian Prime Minister, Georgia Meloni, was also present at the conference.


At one point during his speech, the pope recounted two episodes that he described as “photographs”. The first anecdote he mentioned happened in Saint Peter’s Square where his secretary walked toward a woman who was pushing a stroller and was surprised to see a puppy inside of it instead of a child. The second happened during a regular papal audience on a Wednesday two weeks before the conference. A woman, approximately in her fifties, approached him holding a bag asking him to bless her baby. The pope said that the woman opened the bag to reveal a puppy. He then admitted to losing his temper, impatiently rebuking her by saying; “Many children are dying of hunger and you bring me a dog?” The pontiff proudly relayed the episode while laughing as if he was describing a scene from a funny movie!


The pope explained that, given the cost of living and inadequate childcare, some couples are opting to have cats and dogs rather than children. He accused those who do not have children of “selfishness” and went on to say that, since for many Italians starting a family is a monumental effort, he fears that the two episodes he described could become “the habit of the future”.


I cannot begin to tell you how that triggered animal rescue organizations to react!


This is not the first time that Pope Francis has harped on this issue, having previously slammed what he described as “selfish, egotistical” people who chose to not have children. As reported by Perizona, on International Dog Day in 2022 (August 26) he made similar remarks.

As reported by CNN earlier that year, on January 5, during one of his regular Wednesday papal audiences, whilst praising Saint Joseph’s decision to bring up Jesus as “among the highest forms of love”, he turned his focus to couples that chose to have animals instead of children, saying: “We see that people do not want to have children, or just one and no more. And many, many couples do not have children because they do not want to, or they have just one – but they have two dogs, two cats … Yes, dogs and cats take the place of children.” He then added: “Yes, it’s funny, I understand, but it is the reality. And this denial of fatherhood or motherhood diminishes us, it takes away our humanity. And in this way civilization becomes aged and without humanity, because it loses the richness of fatherhood and motherhood. And our homeland suffers, as it does not have children.”


First of all, I want to say that growing up in Italy, I have seen a lot of priests blessing cars, houses, engagement rings and so on. I remember as a little girl, my own mother asked a priest from our local church to come to the house to bless it. So, I truly do not understand why the pope refused to bless a LIFE! For that, I am deeply disappointed! Secondly, I would expect the pope to profess love for all beings. I strongly believe that he has the responsibility to send a clear message that all humans should love, respect, and appreciate all of God’s creations and that includes animals. I may be mistaken, but I have never heard the pope dedicate a prayer to innocent animal victims of natural disasters or abuse etc. It appears as though he professes selective love! I would expect the pope to support messages that unite all living beings without stressing the needs of some over others! It’s not just children who die of hunger, a lot of innocent animals out there are experiencing the EXACT same tragedy! Both humans and animals suffer and there should not be prioritization of the needs of humans over animals!


Moreover, on April 6, 2023, Pope Francis visited the chapel of the Casal del Marmo juvenile detention center where, during a Mass of the Lord’s Supper, he washed and kissed the feet of twelve young criminals. According to Catholic News Agency, “During his time as pope — and as a bishop before that — Francis has made it a regular tradition to celebrate Holy Thursday Mass with the imprisoned.” Francis, however, has never visited an animal rescue center to recognize, praise, and appreciate the enormous sacrifices volunteers endure in order to save lives! Many of us know all too well that the lives of animals are constantly ignored and underestimated by the authorities and institutions, despite the fact that the law and regulations require them to take charge!


Lastly, after he was elected pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi. Well, here’s a major contradiction: St. Francis of Assisi is associated with patronage of animals and the environment. It became customary for churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October. It’s not a coincidence that the Voice For Us Facebook page was created and launched on October 4, 2018, to honor St. Francis.


A famous Italian journalist, Selvaggia Lucarelli, made an important observation in her recent Instagram story regarding the pope’s refusal to bless the puppy. She said: “What should a 50-year-old woman do, if perhaps she has a dog and an older child? Going around with your 25-year-old son in the stroller, so the pope is reassured and knows that she has given birth?” Selvaggia then went on to indirectly ask: “Why the f*ck doesn’t he tolerate animals?”


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.

Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.



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Writer's picturevoiceforus
Apr 7, 20232 min read

JENNIFER MARIE HUNNICUTT arrested after fifteen animals were found dead on her property

- South Carolina, USA -


On March 13, 2023, Animal Control Deputies with the Oconee County Sheriff's Office responded to a property on 1104 Alexander Road, near Seneca, in regard to a welfare check due to reports of a goat being stuck in a fence and multiple animals who had been abandoned.


ACD knocked on the door but there was no response. While on the scene, they noticed two deceased goats.


A search warrant was then obtained and executed “in order to search for other animals that may be deceased or neglected,” said the Oconee County Sheriff's Office in a press release.

The search led to the discovery of a total of fifteen deceased animals, including eight goats, four dogs, one Bearded Dragon Domesticated Lizard, one cat, and one chicken.

The sheriff’s office said that the “deceased animals were either in a state of decomposition or only skeletal remains were recovered.”


At the property, ACD also found four live Pygmy goats, one live ewe, and one live ram.

Both the live animals and the deceased ones were removed by ACD.


On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, the Oconee County Sheriff's Office arrested 36-years-old JENNIFER MARIE HUNNICUTT (pictured).

As stated in the release, HUNNICUTT “was charged with depriving the animals of necessary sustenance and/or shelter, or by omission, which led [to] the death of some of the animals. Hunnicutt was also charged with abandoning some of the animals without securing another owner or providing the necessities of life.”


From information obtained by Animal Control Deputies it emerged that HUNNICUTT was not seen at the property for approximately a month and a-half.


HUNNICUTT was booked into the Oconee County Detention Center on thirty-five (35) charges of animal cruelty.

The sheriff’s office said HUNNICUTT is facing:


15 counts of Ill Treatment of Animals in General, Torture, which are all felony charges.

14 counts of Abandonment of Animals.

6 counts of Ill Treatment of Animals, In General, Overworking, 1st Offense.


According to the release, HUNNICUTT received a combined $102,975.00 surety bond.

HUNNICUTT was released from jail after posting bond.

Online records show that HUNNICUTT will be back in court on April 25, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.


The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is ongoing.


The sheriff’s office declined to share pictures of the animals found on the property as “as those photographs are considered evidence that will be used in the prosecution of the case.”


Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.

Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.



HUNNICUTT’s mugshot via Oconee County Sheriff’s Office.


Additional Source:





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