Facebook/Detroit Animal Welfare Group
Gideon was recovering from severe burn to several parts of his body.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Friday that no one will be charged in the high-profile case of a puppy who suffered severe burns in a Detroit home earlier this year, saying there was a lack of evidence to prove who was responsible.
Gideon, a months-old Jack Russell Terrier, was found in distress on Jan. 12 with third-degree burns, necrotic skin, and signs of extreme pain, according to medical records reviewed by animal cruelty investigators. The puppy spent 10 days in an animal hospital and continued outpatient treatment through February.
Despite the serious nature of the dog’s injuries, Worthy said the investigation did not uncover sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against any of the people who were in the home at the time.
“People are correct about this: Gideon, a four-month-old Jack Russell Terrier suffered horrific abuse,” Worthy said in a statement. “But in every crime, we must be able to prove WHO did it. We are not able to do that in this case.”
Animal rights advocates immediately criticized the decision and are pledging to continue seeking prosecution through other means.
“This is the most horrific case of animal abuse we have seen and we have a private attorney who will prosecute the abuser,” the Detroit Animal Welfare Group (DAWG), which has taken care of Gideon, posted on Facebook. “We are in absolute disbelief that they have chosen not to prosecute.”
The incident began just after 1:45 a.m. on Jan. 12, when a 19-year-old woman called 911, saying her mother was intoxicated and antagonizing her. Officers responded to the home on Maddelein Street and ordered the mother to leave. She stayed at her son’s house across the street.
Hours later, the mother called 911 to report that one of her dogs had been badly burned. She suspected her daughter was responsible because they had recently had an argument, but she did not witness the incident. The mother later changed her statement, saying she saw the dog jump into the bathtub on its own, which aligns with the version of events given by her 19-year-old daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend, both of whom were in the house at the time.
According to police reports, a 13-year-old sibling initially said the dog was too small to jump into the bathtub and that she saw it run down the stairs screaming in pain. But investigators were unable to formally interview the child after the mother twice failed to let her do a forensic interview, Worthy’s office said.
A veterinary expert with more than three decades of experience in animal cruelty cases reviewed Gideon’s injuries and found that the pattern of burns suggested the dog was placed in hot water hind legs first, rather than falling or jumping in. The expert called it “extremely unlikely” for a young puppy to voluntarily jump into a bathtub and noted that the burns were life-threatening and caused “severe long-lasting pain.”
Prosecutors said the timeline of the investigation raised concerns that witnesses may have coordinated their stories. But without a clear eyewitness or confession, the case did not meet the legal standard of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, Worthy said.
“In some cases, we strongly suspect who has committed a crime and we may think that they are guilty, but as long as I am the Wayne County Prosecutor, we will not charge if it is not supported by our laws,” Worthy said. “I will never grandstand like that. None of us are going to violate our oaths to do justice by circumventing the law and what is right.”
Worthy’s office launched its animal cruelty unit in 2010 and has filed charges in 517 cases since then. She emphasized that the decision not to charge in Gideon’s case was based on the rule of law, not on the lack of trying.
The decision follows months of intense public pressure, including social media campaigns and protests demanding accountability in the case.
“We understand that there will be many that will be very displeased with our decision to deny charges today,” Worthy said. “These will be some of the same people that disparaged us for taking our time to do a complete investigation. But what is right is right. What is just is just. Sometimes our charging decisions will upset others. But ultimately, we must charge what we can prove. We must be able to prove who did this horrible injustice, and we cannot do that in this case.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
