A Florida woman allegedly killed two kittens and buried three others alive in her backyard after becoming convinced the animals were possessed by demons, authorities said.
Alba Luz Chavez, 37, killed two kittens on October 5, placed their bodies in plastic bags and buried them, according to police. Deputies said she had reportedly been experiencing a serious mental health episode for much of the week.
Three children in Chavez’s care tried to protect three other kittens by locking them inside a room at their mobile home in Hobe Sound, a community about 35 miles north of Palm Beach.
The children left for dinner with family on Thursday, leaving the kittens secured inside while Chavez remained at the residence. When they returned, they discovered that Chavez had forced her way into the room and that the kittens were gone.
The children contacted police. When deputies arrived, Chavez allegedly told them she believed all five kittens had demons and that they were ugly, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said at a Friday news conference.
Chavez also told deputies that she did not want black or brown cats in her home and admitted killing two kittens on October 5, Budensiek said.
She reportedly told officers they would need gloves, shovels and bags to find the remaining kittens before leading them to the area where she had buried the animals, according to the sheriff.
Body camera footage shows deputies digging in the yard and pulling two live kittens from plastic bags buried in the dirt as the animals meowed.
Police said a Florida woman buried three kittens alive after killing two others earlier in the week. Body camera footage shows a deputy digging up the surviving cats.
Deputies rescued the meowing kittens from plastic bags in a shallow grave. One deputy is shown holding one kitten while another removes the second.
Deputies hold the rescued kittens as they face Alba Luz Chavez, 37, who allegedly buried the animals and then led officers to the grave.
Chavez allegedly told authorities she believed the kittens were possessed by demons. She faces four animal-torture charges and is being held on a $100,000 bond.
Deputies could not find the third kitten, despite excavating the backyard and searching the mobile home. The animal remains missing, Budensiek said.
The bodies of the two dead kittens were discovered in shallow graves on the property. When deputies tried to ask Chavez how she had killed them, she began singing over their questions, the sheriff said.
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Chavez was arrested and charged with four counts of torture involving the infliction of serious physical pain or death to an animal, according to the sheriff and jail records.
Each third-degree felony count carries a $25,000 bond, bringing the total bond to $100,000, jail records show.
Budensiek also said Chavez is a Venezuelan national in the United States unlawfully and has an immigration hold, meaning she is not expected to be released soon.
The Florida Department of Children and Families removed the children from the mobile home and placed them in their father’s custody, the sheriff said. Their exact relationship with Chavez remains unclear.
“Unfortunately, this is a tragic set of circumstances,” Budensiek said, describing the trauma suffered by the children after losing their pets and the difficult scene deputies had to manage.
The two kittens rescued from the backyard are now staying with a foster family and are doing well, according to their caregiver, Jennifer Jagdeo.
Police said that Chavez is ‘an illegal from Venezuela’ and on an immigration hold. Chavez is pictured being arrested by deputies
The two rescued cats are now in foster care and have been doing well despite being ‘sluggish’ at first, according to their foster caregiver, Jennifer Jagdeo
Jagdeo (pictured with her son and the kittens) said the kittens ‘have a purpose, whether it’s to heal some child’s heart or some family’s heart or bring joy to them’
Jagdeo told WPBF that she received a call on Friday from the Humane Society and immediately took in the three-week-old kittens.
‘I know, it’s not even a hope, I know that they are going to do amazing things over the next couple of weeks with us. They’re gonna continue to grow. They’re going to be big, fluffy little kittens, and they are going to find their forever home,’ Jagdeo said.
She said that the kittens were ‘a little bit sluggish, a little slower,’ when she first received them, ‘but now it’s a complete turnaround.’
The kittens will need to remain in foster care for about two more months before they can be adopted, as they are so young. After that, Jagdeo is confident that the kittens will find the perfect family.
‘They are meant to be here. They have a purpose, whether it’s to heal some child’s heart or some family’s heart or bring joy to them. They definitely have a purpose,’ she said.