Houston Man Tortures, Strangles 3-Week-Old Kitten To Death Before Burying It In Backyard

A three-week-old kitten was tortured, strangled to death before being buried in the backyard of a home in Houston.

Harris County Constable Precinct 1 arrived at a home in Houston’s Cherie Grove Circle on Saturday after receiving reports of animal cruelty and found a kitten buried in the backyard. Following this, the owner of the home, David Arias, was taken into custody, KHOU reported.

The motive behind the crime was not known and it wasn't clear if the kitten belonged to the accused.

The body of the kitten was taken into custody by the Houston SPCA for a necropsy. The officers confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the feline was tortured and strangled to death.

Authorities have requested people to step up and report cases of animal cruelty in their localities.

"We rely heavily on our community’s eyes and ears to report animal cruelty; in fact, it’s critical that it’s reported immediately, especially when it involves any degree of violence towards animals," Adam Reynolds, Chief Animal Cruelty Investigator for the Houston SPCA, said in the statement.

Reiterating it, Harris County Constable Alan Rosen said, "When citizens step up to report cruelty, it helps us enforce the message that animal abuse crimes are not acceptable and there will be serious consequences for harming an animal in Harris County."

The accused has since been charged with one count of cruelty to nonlivestock animals (torture). Details regarding his bail plea were not available.

Jo Sullivan, a licensed social worker, believes animal torture and cruelty are often gateway crimes for violence against humans.

“We know that about 60% of households experiencing domestic violence have children and pets in the home. This type of animal abuse can easily escalate to people and domestic violence in the home,” Sullivan said in the statement.

A report by the Department of Justice stated extreme animal torture cases "are almost always precursors to violent crime directed at humans." Therefore, FBI began tracking animal cruelty cases in 2016.

"Law enforcement agencies and the advocacy groups that pushed for the inclusion in the FBI database are hoping the results will reveal a more complete picture of the nature of cruelty to animals," the report further stated.