BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — The word shocking only begins to describe the discovery made at a Maryland home Wednesday.
What started out with seven deceased animals dumped on the side of the road turned into 38 more dead pets added to the investigation.
Now, more people who went to Loving Care Pet Funeral Services are left wondering what is actually in the box on their mantle.
"There are still babies that need to find their parents and where is ours amongst several other people who we have come in contact with? What did you do with them where are they? We deserve an answer," Nikki Pickens said.
Nikki and Markise Pickens went to Loving Care Pet Funeral Services after their cat Norbit, also known as Norby, passed away in February.
"He honestly is the sweetest cat in the world. We've had our share of pets around here and this guy definitely weighed on people's hearts," she said.
They told WMAR-2 News that at first the owner, Rodney Ward, was respectful and accommodating, personally picking Norbit up from their home.
"Rodney's a great salesman - words, he's got it down. I can tell he's been doing it for a while. Just very smooth you think 'this is the greatest guy in the world.' He understands, he pays attention, he's listening, willing to work with us - all lies," Markise Pickens said.
They said what he returned with after telling them he cremated their cat looked and sounded like beach sand.
Nikki told WMAR-2 News it was a stark difference from cremains she has from past pets.
"This is what cremains should look like," she said, showing the example.
She texted Rodney asking for the certificate of cremation but never received it.
Then on Wednesday, the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office and Baltimore County Police executed a search warrant on his home, finding 38 dead and decaying animals bodies in a hearse on his property.
"Some of them were a soupy mess, not really sure. There were various stages of decomposition. There was liquid leaking out of the hearse, some of them were new, some of them were old. There were a lot of dead flies there, that tells us something as well," Baltimore County Assistant State's Attorney Adam Lippe told WMAR-2 News.
Lippe said investigators also found concrete mix at his home.
There are no charges against Ward, but Lipp spoke on the possible penalties for something like this.
"So, for each individual cause there's a felony amount between $1500 and $25,000. That would fit for each animal."
Baltimore County Police are investigating the situation as a theft by deception.
Lippe said the business isn't even registered in Maryland.
"In Maryland, you have to be licensed to be a crematorium. This individual and company are not licensed to be a crematorium."
Markise told Nikki about Wednesday's discovery.
"I was like, so angry. I was like shaking," she said, "There is one person who is a part of our support group and one of those was hers."
She told WMAR-2 News animal control let her know her cat wasn't among the bodies because the blanket his body was wrapped in wasn't in the hearse.
"I can only hope that the reason we didn't get the blanket back is maybe someway, somehow, he's still with his blanket out there somewhere and that will be his identifying factor."
Lippe said next steps include trying to identify the animals in the hearse, something he said won't be easy.
Starting in June, a forensic anthropologist at Loyola University will help people affected determine if their cremains are their pet or not.
WMAR-2 News reached out to Loving Care Pet owner Rodney Ward, but only got his voicemail.
If you or anyone else you know used Loving Care Pet Funeral Services reach out to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office, Baltimore County Police, or Baltimore City Animal Control.
