Aysha Carbon found guilty of eight counts of mistreating animals for the death of ferrets and a dog

Mugshot of Aysha Carbon, 23, of Manitowoc, WI.

A Wisconsin woman who abandoned three ferrets and a pit bull who all died as a result of malnourishment has pled guilty to eight misdemeanor counts of mistreating animals and intentionally withholding food and water from animals.

Aysha Carbon, 23, was arrested March 15, 2021, after a concerned citizen contacted police to report that Carbon had neglected a dog that died of malnourishment, according to the criminal complaint.

Carbon’s mother told police that her daughter had left the apartment three months ago and she had not been back. She said she was concerned about Carbon’s dog, Saffire, so she crawled into a window at the apartment and checked on her. She said when she found Saffire the dog was “skin and bones and barely alive,” according to the police report. Carbon’s mother took Saffire to her home where she later died. She said she “cried for hours regarding the condition of Saffire.”

Saffire the pit bull died of malnourishment and neglect.

“When I removed the blanket from the deceased dog, the sight of the dog brought … tears and they requested the dog be covered again, so they did not have to see the horrible sight,” according to the police report.

Police attempted to contact Carbon by phone and then executed a search warrant at Carbon’s apartment. Upon entering the apartment, they found it was filthy and in disarray with piles of dog feces and urine on the floor. The officer found empty dog dishes and an empty food bag in the home, but there was no food or water accessible to the dog. The officer also observed the toilet was shut, preventing Saffire from obtaining water that way.

Saffire appeared to be chewing on items in the home, likely as an attempt to fend off starvation, and there were bite marks on soda bottles, aluminum cans, tin cans, garbage, lotion bottles, stuffed animals and foam mattresses, according to the criminal complaint.

When the officer opened a closet she found the decaying corpse of a ferret that appeared to have been dead for “several weeks to a month,” according to the police report. Police later returned to the apartment and found a cage hidden under a blanket with two decaying ferrets inside. The police report indicates the ferrets had no water and they could not locate a water dish in the cage.

Police later located Carbon and questioned her. Carbon acknowledged that her dog had died of malnourishment and she confirmed to police that she had left her apartment three months earlier and had not returned.

Police took Carbon to the Police Department for further questioning. Carbon admitted that “it was her fault and she neglected Saffire,” according to the criminal complaint.

Carbon was booked into the Manitowoc County Jail and released on bond two days later. A necropsy performed on Saffire indicated she had died due to prolonged starvation.

Carbon pled guilty today to four misdemeanor counts of mistreating animals and four misdemeanor counts of intentionally withholding food and water from animals. Her sentencing is scheduled for January 10, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. at the Manitowoc County Courthouse Branch 3. District Attorney Gail Prost said she will be recommending a sentence of probation.