FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. – A Franklin County woman has been charged with four counts of animal abuse and one count of animal neglect following a January incident where authorities recovered dozens of animals—some dead—from her property.

Nisha Chand, 54, faces charges for the January 14 incident. Authorities recovered more than 40 live animals from her property southwest of St. Clair last month on a night when temperatures dipped below zero.

Rescue volunteers describe the deplorable conditions those animals were living in.
“There was a dead chihuahua in the RV that she lived in. She got up every morning and stepped over a dead chihuahua,” Shannon Reed, Lucky Chance Rescue, said.

Charles Hackmann was one of the numerous volunteers who worked through the night to rescue the animals. He described discovering the animals living in filth, right next to dead animals.

“There were at least nine dead animals that we pulled out of there. We’re talking chihuahuas, turkeys locked in cages that were deceased that could not get food or water,” he said.

The good news is that a month later, many of those animals have made a full recovery, including the monkey discovered on Chand’s property.

“The monkey is doing amazing,” Chand said. “It took him almost a week to get to the point where he was comfortable taking food from us.”

Rescuers argue that for a crime this disturbing, Chand should face harsher penalties.

“It sends the message that it’s ok that you’re not going to get in trouble for it,” said animal rights activist Jessica Reed. “And that’s a bad message to send.”

Hackmann has a message for those with the power to enforce harsher penalties.

“The judicial system dropped the ball on this. And if you’re a judge or a prosecutor watching this, you need to start holding people accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Hackmann said.

Each one of the four animal abuse counts Chand faces carries up to a year of jail time and a $2,000 fine. She’s set to appear in court on Tuesday.