Mother Boils Puppies To Death, Forces Children To Watch As Punishment

A woman from New Mexico hit her teen daughter with a kitchen tool, shot the family dog and boiled several puppies on the stove, a court heard Tuesday.

The incident came to light after one of Martha Crouch’s 15 children leveled neglect allegations against her and her husband, 57-year-old Timothy Crouch. The court heard that the children were not given food to eat and some of them were beaten regularly. One of them, a 17-year-old girl, was beaten with a kitchen tool and her dog was shot. Martha also boiled several puppies in a large pot in front of the children.

According to the arrest affidavit, in May, the 17-year-old unnamed daughter, who was upset about not receiving education, threatened to call social services on her parents. Martha then hit the girl several times with the kitchen tool, particularly in areas that could be covered by clothing.

Narrating another incident, the girl told the investigators that after one of the family dogs gave birth, Martha "took the puppies and put them into a giant pot and boiled them, making all the kids watch." Martha also poisoned a pet kitten to death and shot a family dog as punishment.

On May 22, officials with the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department visited the home. However, Martha and her youngest four children managed to hide at a neighbor’s home. After the officials left, Martha and the children packed up and drove to Colorado. They were finally located on June 1. According to the arrest affidavit, the family has a history of running away from an area when child protective services become involved.

The couple was arrested June 24 from their residence. Police said though some of their children levied multiple allegations against them, the charges were filed based on only the 17-year-old’s accusations. While Martha was charged with child abuse and extreme animal cruelty, Timothy was charged with obstruction of the investigation of child abuse. The couple remained in jail as of June 25. The investigation was ongoing.