LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Charges have been filed against a woman accused of dumping 25 bags of animal remains in the Utah desert near St. George, all belonging to Las Vegas families who had entrusted a local cremation service.
It all started with two beloved animals: a little cat and a big dog.
Christina Palmer recollects, "My husband and I got him when he was a kitten."
Their beloved cat, Pumpkin, passed away earlier this year. Christina and her husband turned to First Call Pet Cremation in South Central Las Vegas, owned by licensed funeral arranger Rick Senninger, to ensure a proper farewell.
However, their hopes were soon forgotten when five months passed with no contact from First Call, leaving the family in despair. However, Finally, in October, Christina reached out to Senninger, who agreed to deliver the cat's ashes, pawprint, and a lock of its hair.
For the Konold family, their ordeal took a different turn. They contacted First Call in July to help end their dog Mooger's suffering as his health deteriorated.
Jocelyn Konold explains, "All we ever wanted to do was make sure he was comfortable because he was in pain."
The family paid First Call for both euthanasia and cremation services, with expectations of receiving Mooger's ashes in 2 to 4 weeks. However, their beloved dog's remains never reached the crematorium.
Instead, he was discarded on a remote road in central Utah along with nearly two dozen other animals.
Authorities in St. George, Utah were alerted by a passerby who discovered suspicious bags on a remote backroad trail.
"The deputy was able to respond to the area and located a bag with what looked like a dog carcass inside," said Sgt. Lucas Alfred of the Washington County Sheriff's Department. "So, after a little further investigation scanning the area around, we found about 17 or so animals."
The bodies were in such an advanced state of decomposition that distinguishing between cats and dogs became challenging. Investigations revealed that many of the animals were identified as First Call clients, raising suspicions that all the animals found in Utah may have originated from First Call Pet Cremation in Las Vegas.
Investigations continued in St. George, where authorities attempted to determine the responsible party behind the abandoned animals.
Charges have been filed against McKenzie Frei, who officials allege worked with Senninger and was contracted to cremate the animals, but instead, dumped their remains in the Utah desert.
"We were able to charge one individual in our county with basically littering, nuisance charges, and operating without a business license," Alfred said.
However, when it comes to Senninger, Alfred said there are no charges pending for him.
"He has not done any activity in our county," Alfred explained.
Attempts to reach Frei for comment on her pending charges received no response. Senninger, when contacted about Frei's charges, sent the following statement:
"Once we became aware of the actions taken by the crematory operator, we stopped bringing in new families and actively assisted Utah law enforcement."
