HOUSTON – Two people are being sought in the case of a dog that was found neglected in an abandoned home earlier this month, officials said Monday.
Elisha Gonzalez, 44, and 21-year-old Tristin Hancock are both charged with animal cruelty.
Warrants have been issued for their arrests.
It was Sgt. Charles Jantzen, Precinct 5 Harris County Constable, who found Bella, a 6-month-old chocolate-Labrador mix, in terrible shape.
“On the following day, we conducted various investigations to find the defendants in this case.” said Jantzen said.
"We all have to come together on these cases to fight this crime and that is exactly what happened here,” said Devon Anderson, Harris County district attorney.
Bella was found lying on a pile of dirty laundry inside a vacated home in the 200 block of Taranto Lane in east Houston.
Thanks to the Houston Humane Society, Bella is on the mend. When she first arrived there, she could barely stand, was anemic, had massive infections and hair loss and was suffering from a host of other medical issues.
“This is one of the most horrific cases of neglect I’ve seen in a long time,” said Monica Schmidt, spokesperson for the Houston Humane Society.
The following week, officials said Bella was on her way to recovering.
“She's just ready, she's trusting. We see this all the time and usually they will respond to love,” said Sherry Ferguson, executive director of the Houston Humane Society, or HHS.