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Paul Thomas Baylor III, 19, and Justin Uzonna Anabaraonye, 18, were both arrested following a probe by the Allegany County Sheriff's Office into dogs that were found "in what appeared to be a burn pile," authorities announced.
Last week, the sheriff's office was contacted by Allegany County Animal Control regarding an animal cruelty complaint, and after being shown photos of the charred remains of domestic dogs, an investigation was launched.
On Friday, a search and seizure warrant was executed in the 13000 block of Tulip Street in Cumberland, which led to the discovery of seven charred remains of various dog breeds in what appeared to be a burn pile.
In addition, the skeletal remains of numerous other dogs were located throughout the property grounds.
According to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, it was determined that the dogs were burned using an accelerant, and the remains of the animals were taken to the Humane Society of the United States to determine the cause of death.
The search warrant was executed by the Allegany County Special Operations Response Team, which is comprised of Sheriff Office and Cumberland City Police officers, and Washington County Special Response Team.
Baylor was charged with four counts of animal cruelty, while Anabaraonye was charged with six counts of animal cruelty and aggravated animal cruelty. Officials said that the case remains under investigation and more charges are expected.
Both were held at the Allegany County Detention Center pending their bond reviews.
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