The sheriff said Genesee County Animal Control officers were called out to the Parkwood Mobile Home Park in Grand Blanc Township on Nov. 27, 2024, for a dog barking because it was left outside the couple’s home.
The mobile park manager says the couple was last seen by neighbors on Nov. 11, 2024. Witnesses said the couple was moving their belongings into a U-Haul truck and could hear a dog barking inside the empty home.
After animal control arrived at the scene, they located one dog still alive and two dead puppies inside the home.
Terri McComick, the Genesee County Veterinary Doctor, reported finding hair, plastic, and metal in the dog’s stomachs.
The sheriff said deputies are looking for 46-year-old Bruce Arlyn Austin and 43-year-old Jamie Lynn Cross for questioning.
Genesee County officials searching for couple accused of animal abuse; Deputies arrest person in separate abuse case
Friday morning, Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said his department is investigating two cases of animal abuse and is asking for help finding those he said are responsible for one of them.
A veterinarian performed necropsies on the two dead dogs and determined they died from severe starvation, Swanson said.
The veterinarian also found that the dogs ate hair, plastic and metal while seeking nourishment, Swanson said.
Bubba, survived the situation and was recently adopted into a new home, Swanson said.
Investigators believe Austin and Cross abandoned the dogs and left them alone inside the trailer when they moved away.
"Jamie and Bruce did this," Swanson said, while showing a photo of the dead puppies. "Sometimes, it's the photo that brings to reality what's happening."
MI Couple Abandons Pups Who Starved To Death In Empty Home: Sheriff
Police are looking for a couple who left a Genesee County trailer where two dogs were found starved to death, sheriff's officials said.
