In a shocking turn of events, the Collin County Sheriff's Office has arrested a 22-year-old woman, identified as Rachel Sword of Westminister, on charges of animal cruelty. The arrest comes after a grim discovery was made on her property, where the remains of 12 horses and 24 dogs were found.
Rachel Sword was taken into custody without incident and is currently being held at the Collin County jail. Her bond has been set at $85,000, reflecting the seriousness of the charges she is facing.
The investigation into Sword's actions was initiated after landscapers, who were working on her property, stumbled upon the grim remains of several deceased horses. Prompted by the citizen complaint, the Collin County Sheriff's personnel, along with deputies and Collin County Animal Services, executed a seizure warrant on August 1st, enabling them to retrieve all living animals from Sword's property located on the 700 block of Graybill Road in Westminster, an unincorporated community situated east of Anna, Texas.
Details provided by the Collin County Sheriff's Office indicate that the condition of the horses' remains ranged from partially skeletonized with remnants of skin and fur to completely skeletonized, suggesting that the deaths were not recent occurrences. An arrest affidavit stated that the decay of the animals' bodies indicated a considerable amount of time had passed since their demise.
In a revealing interview with investigators, Rachel Sword reportedly attributed the ownership of the animals to her deceased husband, who she claimed had passed away approximately three weeks prior. Sword admitted to being aware of her responsibility for the animals' well-being following her husband's death. However, she alleged that she was engulfed in depression, incapacitating her ability to care for the animals properly.
