Puppy starves to death after men abandon it in NC apartment, police say

SPRING LAKE, N.C. -- Two men are accused of locking a puppy in a cage for nearly a month without food or water.

Apartment managers in Spring Lake, North Carolina found a dead dog inside a cage on Dec. 27.

Veterinarians determined the dog died between 18 and 48 hours before it was found. The dog had been dehydrated and starved.

Investigators determined the dog belonged to Demareo Jones and another man. Jones is a Fort Bragg soldier. Our sister station, ABC11, is not naming the second man until criminal charges are filed against him.

The two had lived in the apartment complex until Dec. 5.

Spring Lake Police Department said both men were aware that the puppy, which was between 12 and 16 weeks old, was caged up in the apartment. Neither men went back to the apartment to check on it or take care of it, police said.

According to police records, both men told police that they were too busy with personal issues to see if the other one had gotten the dog.

Jones was arrested Feb. 3 on charges of killing an animal via starvation and abandoning an animal.

Officials said charges are pending against the other man in this case.