Arrest made in Flint Township animal hoarding case

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Brenda Shires (Flint Township Police Department)

FLINT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) - The wife who owns a Genesee County home where dozens of dogs were found dead has been arrested, while police continue searching for her husband.

What we know:

Brenda Shires was taken into custody in Grand Rapids on Thursday, March 12, and transferred to Flint Township detectives before being lodged at the Genesee County Jail. She was arraigned Friday on charges of animal cruelty and animal abandonment and was given a $150,000 bond.

"The work isn’t done. Those animals, including the ones who were left to die, deserve justice," Flint Township police said in a social media post. "We’ll continue to fight for them during the search for Kim and advocate for them during the court process."

Police are still searching for her husband, Kim Shires, who detectives believe fled Michigan to Tennessee to avoid prosecution. He also faces charges of animal cruelty and animal abandonment.

The arrests come after authorities rescued more than 60 dogs and found 30 dead dogs inside the couple’s home last month. Investigators said feces and trash were found throughout the house.

What you can do:

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kim Shires is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Flint & Genesee County or Detective Lopez at 810-600-3250.

What they're saying:

Still no arrests made in animal hoarding case in Flint Twp.

FOX 2 went out to the property where no one was home, but there was trash all over the yard. Meanwhile, authorities say that’s what it looked like on the inside.

Authorities described to FOX 2 the disturbing conditions inside the home.

The video and descriptions of the scene are disturbing; viewer and reader discretion is advised.

"It was a big, huge nightmare. The only thing it was just the barking and the smell and the constant dogs getting loose," a neighbor told FOX 2.

"When they first moved in, they did not have a fence," the neighbor said. "All they did was run the yard. They’d be all up on my porch and in my garage, and my daughter was petrified of them."

The neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said the dogs sometimes ran into the street.

"I was really afraid that people were going to get killed on the road. I’ve had dogs — we’ve looked for dogs in drains," she said. "We’ve looked for dogs in the woods. I’ve been all over the place with these dogs."

The neighbor said she also witnessed dogs fighting, prompting calls to 911 and animal control. A few weeks ago, police entered the home with caution.

"Neighbors complained about loose dogs running around and excessive barking," said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton. "Police went out and saw from across the property what was going on. They came to us. We gave them a search warrant. They went in, and unfortunately we found a horrendous situation."

"This is a case of animal hoarding, and animal hoarding is a mental health disorder," Leyton said. "Our county veterinarian made that clear in her report to me and the police officers."

"This is far and away the worst situation I’ve seen, and I’ve been the prosecuting attorney here for 22 years. This is a really bad case," Leyton said.