80s_Fan
05-05-2005, 03:22 PM
:cat:
Friday, April 8, 2005
Family cat found tortured, killed
By Jason Tait
Staff Writer
METHUEN -- Karyn Guillette took her two children on a nature hike near their home, but along the trail they came across a horrifying sight.
Mr. Noodles, the family cat that disappeared in February, was strung up from a tree by his rear legs tied with mechanical wire, his eyes gouged out and his body, covered by orange fur, stiff with rigor mortis.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is now investigating and the Guillette family is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible.
"I still can't believe it," Guillette said of the discovery. "Just the way he was hanging it was shocking."
Her children, Jillian, 3, and Ethan, 2, never saw what happened because Guillette turned their attention away.
Guillette knew immediately that the dead animal was Mr. Noodles because she recognized the unique white fur on his feet. He was hanging by his rear legs about 3 feet from the ground.
The killing has shocked the quiet neighborhood, said Guillette's husband, Andre. They live at 35 Perley St., a dead-end road with a few dozen homes. The wooded wetlands at the end of their street is home to beavers, geese and some coyotes.
"Everyone in the neighborhood is really worried that we have a sick kid around here," Andre Guillette said.
The family's mail carrier, Sean Sweeney, gave Mr. Noodles to them as a kitten 18 months ago, the offspring of a stray cat that his family took in.
"That's sick," Sweeney said of the killing. "You know what they say. That person becomes a serial killer. They have no respect for life."
After finding Mr. Noodles, Karyn shuffled the children away and told a male neighbor. He cut the body down and buried it but the MSPCA had Mr. Noodles exhumed for the investigation. The MSPCA investigator, Martha Parkhurst, said a necropsy will be performed on the cat to learn the cause of death.
Parkhurst is a law enforcement officer and is leading the investigation. "The majority of our calls are not something this horrendous," she said.
Diane Sullivan, a professor of animal law and advocacy at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, said that abuse cases like this happen more often than people think.
If the person who murdered Mr. Noodles is caught, he should be prosecuted to the maximum, Sullivan said. The felony penalty is $2,500 and five years in state prison.
"One of the problems is the lack of prosecution in cases like this," Sullivan said. "You need to get a district attorney who will prosecute to the full extent of the law, and hopefully you will set a precedent."
Mr. Noodles is named after 3-year-old Jillian's favorite character on Sesame Street.
Karyn Guillette said that the cat loved people, and would follow Jillian and Ethan everywhere they went. Their other children, Darren, 19, Amanda, 16, and Nick, 14, also loved the cat.
That's why the family is so sad, they say, because Mr. Noodles loved people but was betrayed by someone violent.
"I'm just waiting to sort out my feelings," Karyn Guillette said.
Since Mr. Noodles went missing in the last week of February, Karyn has put up "missing cat" fliers around the city in beauty shops and grocery stores.
She never gave up the search for the family pet, and would go to the shelter every Thursday hoping that Mr. Noodles would surface.
Andre Guillette is hoping that someone with information about the cat's death will come forward.
"I want someone to talk," said Andre Guillette.
People with information can call Parkhurst, the MSPCA investigator, at (617) 522-6008 or (800) 628-5808.
:dog:
Friday, April 8, 2005
Family cat found tortured, killed
By Jason Tait
Staff Writer
METHUEN -- Karyn Guillette took her two children on a nature hike near their home, but along the trail they came across a horrifying sight.
Mr. Noodles, the family cat that disappeared in February, was strung up from a tree by his rear legs tied with mechanical wire, his eyes gouged out and his body, covered by orange fur, stiff with rigor mortis.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is now investigating and the Guillette family is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible.
"I still can't believe it," Guillette said of the discovery. "Just the way he was hanging it was shocking."
Her children, Jillian, 3, and Ethan, 2, never saw what happened because Guillette turned their attention away.
Guillette knew immediately that the dead animal was Mr. Noodles because she recognized the unique white fur on his feet. He was hanging by his rear legs about 3 feet from the ground.
The killing has shocked the quiet neighborhood, said Guillette's husband, Andre. They live at 35 Perley St., a dead-end road with a few dozen homes. The wooded wetlands at the end of their street is home to beavers, geese and some coyotes.
"Everyone in the neighborhood is really worried that we have a sick kid around here," Andre Guillette said.
The family's mail carrier, Sean Sweeney, gave Mr. Noodles to them as a kitten 18 months ago, the offspring of a stray cat that his family took in.
"That's sick," Sweeney said of the killing. "You know what they say. That person becomes a serial killer. They have no respect for life."
After finding Mr. Noodles, Karyn shuffled the children away and told a male neighbor. He cut the body down and buried it but the MSPCA had Mr. Noodles exhumed for the investigation. The MSPCA investigator, Martha Parkhurst, said a necropsy will be performed on the cat to learn the cause of death.
Parkhurst is a law enforcement officer and is leading the investigation. "The majority of our calls are not something this horrendous," she said.
Diane Sullivan, a professor of animal law and advocacy at the Massachusetts School of Law in Andover, said that abuse cases like this happen more often than people think.
If the person who murdered Mr. Noodles is caught, he should be prosecuted to the maximum, Sullivan said. The felony penalty is $2,500 and five years in state prison.
"One of the problems is the lack of prosecution in cases like this," Sullivan said. "You need to get a district attorney who will prosecute to the full extent of the law, and hopefully you will set a precedent."
Mr. Noodles is named after 3-year-old Jillian's favorite character on Sesame Street.
Karyn Guillette said that the cat loved people, and would follow Jillian and Ethan everywhere they went. Their other children, Darren, 19, Amanda, 16, and Nick, 14, also loved the cat.
That's why the family is so sad, they say, because Mr. Noodles loved people but was betrayed by someone violent.
"I'm just waiting to sort out my feelings," Karyn Guillette said.
Since Mr. Noodles went missing in the last week of February, Karyn has put up "missing cat" fliers around the city in beauty shops and grocery stores.
She never gave up the search for the family pet, and would go to the shelter every Thursday hoping that Mr. Noodles would surface.
Andre Guillette is hoping that someone with information about the cat's death will come forward.
"I want someone to talk," said Andre Guillette.
People with information can call Parkhurst, the MSPCA investigator, at (617) 522-6008 or (800) 628-5808.
:dog: