August 29, 2023
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Police found more than 30 dead dogs at an Evesham Township home on Monday, authorities said.
The bodies of more than 30 dead dogs were recovered Monday from a home in Evesham Township. Police took a man and woman into custody on animal cruelty charges, authorities said.
Officers responded to a home on the 600 block of Main Street after receiving a report from a witness who said there were sick and malnourished dogs at the property. The homeowners were identified as 35-year-old Rebecca Halbach and 32-year-old Brandon Leconey.
Inside the home, police found several dozen dogs — both dead and alive — along with several living cats and rabbits.
A child who was at the property was placed in the care of the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency “due to the unhealthy conditions," according to police.
Nine of 14 dogs found alive were taken to Mount Laurel Animal Hospital. One was in bad enough health that it had to be euthanized, police said.
Investigators believe as many as 100 dogs may have died at the property and were later buried there.
Authorities returned to the home on Tuesday with a search warrant to gather more evidence. Evesham police are working on the case with the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.
Halbach and Leconey have each been charged with animal cruelty and endangering the welfare of a child. Leconey was taken to the Burlington County Jail. Halbach was taken to a hospital for a medical condition and will be jailed afterward, authorities said.
