In a deeply unsettling case out of California, a dog trainer and his girlfriend stand accused of causing the deaths of eleven dogs and subsequently attempting to cover their tracks by disposing of the evidence at various crematoriums.
Kwong (Tony) Chun Sit, originating from Irvine, made a court appearance in Orange County Superior Court this Monday, firmly denying all charges laid against him. These charges encompass 11 counts of animal cruelty, an equal number of animal abuse counts by a caretaker, along with seven counts related to the attempted destruction of evidence and a single count concerning evidence destruction.;
Tingfeng Liu, a resident of Vista and reportedly in a relationship with Sit, similarly pleaded not guilty to being an accessory to a felony and for the destruction of evidence, as per the police. Both individuals remain detained with bail set at $550,000 each. Authorities disclosed that upon their arrest last Thursday, the couple appeared to be on the verge of fleeing. Their defense will be managed by public defenders.
The incident came to light when a worried pet owner reached out to the authorities last week. The owner mentioned that a dog trainer had informed them of their pet’s sudden death and subsequent cremation, according to police spokesperson Kyle Oldoerp.
Upon deeper investigation, authorities discovered that 11 dogs had tragically died, with nine occurrences happening around the same day. Aimee Gutierrez recounted in a social post about losing Saint, a 9-month-old Belgian Malinois she had just welcomed into her family. Tragically, she received a brief notification via text from the trainer saying the dog died in her sleep, leaving no opportunity for goodbyes before learning of the unauthorized cremation.
The police also confirmed the cremation of yet another dog. The Animal Services Unit from the Irvine Police Department managed to retrieve several canine remains, allegedly deposited at crematoriums by either Sit or Liu.
Necropsies carried out on three of these dogs revealed heartbreaking details: two had succumbed to heat stroke, while the third suffered blunt force trauma. The examination for six more remains is still in process. Most of these bodies ended up at crematoriums last Wednesday, with the first one traced back to June 13.
Operating under several aliases such as Happy K9 Academy across Southern California, Sit’s online presence highlights him as a contributor to blog content. Described services include boarding and training but intriguingly omit any physical location for such facilities, even though an address provided points to a public place in Tustin, California.
The investigation is continually evolving, as highlighted by spokesperson Oldoerp.