Howard County Animal Control and police made contact Wednesday morning with the woman who is being investigated for dozens of dead animals found in a Columbia townhouse.

Continue reading

The woman is well-known as a former bird trainer at the National Aquariam in Baltimore and as the current executive director of a bird rescue charity.

On Tuesday, 40 dead animals, including rabbits, birds and cats, were discovered in a house the 9600 block of Lambeth Court after a property manager reported odors.

Neighbors said the couple has not lived there for about six months but until recently still came around. Neighbors also said the couple had moved to a home not far away from the Lambeth Court property.

Police said they found no animal violations or evidence of cruelty inside the woman's new residence. The focus of the investigation remains the seemingly abandoned townhouse on Lambeth Court.

Amanda Neuman, a bird rescuer, was stunned to learn of the news.

"About four months ago I had taken 11 of my rescues to her because I was moving and I wasn't able to take them with me," Neuman said. "As soon as I found out this was the same lady who promised all of that, it just devastated me because I just kept thinking what happened to my birds. Are they in that house?"

After police left the woman, an ABC7 reporter knocked on the door, but no one would answer. Eventually someone came out, but declined to comment and drove away in a van packed with empty animal cages.

There was a large trailer for the woman's foundation in the driveway and a truck with expired tags.