A Southcentral Pennsylvania district attorney said Tuesday he expects criminal charges will be filed in the deaths of hundreds of pigs that perished at an abandoned Pennsylvania farm.
Fulton County District Attorney Travis Kendall declined to identify suspects in the case as the investigation continues.
A person interested in buying the 218-acre farm discovered the dead pigs Nov. 7. A spokeswoman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Tuesday there were between 500 and 600 carcasses, conflicting with earlier estimates of more than 900.
The ASPCA said the pigs apparently were abandoned months ago. Most of the carcasses were found in a barn, the group said. No live pigs were found.
“This is a tragic case, and our hope at this point is that the submitted results will reveal exactly what happened to these animals and who should be held accountable,” Jeff Eyre, an ASPCA official, said.
The owners of the farm, Daniel and Kerron Clark, were separated some time ago, according to the Chambersburg Public Opinion.
Attempts to find telephone listings for them were unsuccessful Tuesday.
The property was recently put up for sale for $1.2 million, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was listed on Oct. 18, said Christina Lewellen, spokeswoman for Virginia-based Long & Foster Real Estate Inc.
It was pulled off the market after the prospective buyer who inspected the property discovered the dead pigs. The real-estate agent notified Kerron Clark that day, and Clark notified authorities the next day, the Public Opinion reported.
State police Lt. Gregory Bacher, who is leading the investigation, did not immediately return telephone calls Tuesday.
The ASPCA, one of several animal-welfare groups assisting state police in the investigation, said potential evidence collected from the scene was submitted to the University of Pennsylvania for analysis.
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