Three suspects who police say are involved in selling sick puppies through fraudulent ads have turned themselves in to authorities, Virginia police say.
Prince William County police said 20-year-old Elijzah Johnson of Waldorf, Maryland, and 21-year-old Kamila Garcia Alban of Woodbridge, Virginia, turned themselves in on Wednesday, the same day Prince William County police announced they were wanted on animal cruelty charges.
Both Johnson and Garcia Alban face 11 counts of animal cruelty and are expected to appear in court on Sept. 25, police said. They are being held in jail without bond.
A third suspect, 20-year-old Crystal Leeann Hoskins, turned herself in on Thursday, police said. She also faces on 11 counts of animal cruelty.
Johnson, Garcia Alban and Hoskins kept puppies in "deplorable" conditions in a shed with no food or water, but told Craigslist buyers the sick and infected dogs were vaccinated and crate-trained, police said.
Prince William County animal control officers started receiving complaints in February from people who bought mixed-breed puppies on Craigslist. The ads for the puppies said the dogs were properly vaccinated and "farm raised," police said.
But several of the puppies' new owners quickly learned their dogs had worms and canine parvovirus, a highly contagious viral illness that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and lack of appetite.
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One puppy died as a result of the virus, police said.
Animal control officers discovered that the three suspects were bringing the puppies in from North Carolina to resell them, according to police.
During a search of Hoskins and Garcia Alban's home on Reardon Lane in Woodbridge in May, officers found 11 puppies inside a shed on the property, police said. All of the puppies were heavily infested with worms and had urine and feces stains.
Police said the shed had no food or water and inadequate ventilation. Officers also found loose exposed electrical cords draped across the floor.
All of the 11 puppies found in the shed have been treated and adopted, police said.
