New Vet Records for Isaiah 11 Ministry’s Cat Victims Show Infections, Wounds, and More; PETA Calls For Criminal Charges

For Immediate Release:
May 30, 2024

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Just-obtained veterinary records for the 13 cats PETA removed from the custody of Isaiah 11 Ministry owner Linda Ozier on April 1 and 2 at the request of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office detail many untreated medical conditions and the neglect of animals kept at the hoarder’s facility. So today, PETA sent an urgent letter to Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney J. Brad Voelz urging him to not only file criminal charges against Ozier but also seek a court order permanently barring her from possessing animals. PETA notes that Ozier is responsible for the suffering and deaths of scores of animals at her Warsaw facility and that failing to act would amount to a dereliction of duty on Voelz’s part.

The veterinary reports—compiled by Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control, which took in the animals after PETA removed them from Ozier’s operation—show that at least 10 of the cats had ear infections; at least nine had upper respiratory symptoms; nearly every cat was fearful, ravenous, and covered in fleas; and some were suffering from diarrhea and other conditions, emaciated, dehydrated, or wounded. Four of the cats—the latest to die as a result of Ozier’s neglect—had to be euthanized due to their dire state. Previously, PETA’s team had discovered the liquefying remains of multiple cats and the skeletons of other animals in coolers on Ozier’s property.

“For more than a year and despite repeated complaints and compelling eyewitness accounts, local authorities allowed deplorable conditions to persist at Isaiah 11 Ministry,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “Ozier’s compulsive hoarding and neglect will continue unless Prosecutor Voelz does his job and holds her accountable so that no other animals suffer at her hands.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Voelz follows.

May 30, 2024

The Honorable J. Brad Voelz

Kosciusko County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office

Dear Mr. Voelz:

I’m writing again regarding Linda Ozier’s neglect of animals at Isaiah 11 Ministry. We’ve received additional information regarding the many medical conditions of the cats PETA—at the request of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office—removed from the property. The damning details further illustrate the criminal neglect that Ozier allowed to go unchecked at her facility. We urge you to consider these cats’ plight, file charges against Ozier, and seek a court order barring her from possessing animals—before she causes any more suffering.

We previously shared that the cats PETA removed from the property were sick, injured, and emaciated. New records from Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control—which took in the 13 cats and provided them with the care that they had been denied by Ozier—show the following:

• At least 10 of them had ear infections, some severe.
• At least nine had upper respiratory symptoms, including sneezing and ocular and nasal discharge.
• Nearly every cat was fearful, starving, and flea-infested.
• Four cats had to be humanely euthanized.

One cat, Raven, had large, open sores behind both ears. We mentioned in a previous letter that Ozier had attributed the chronic wounds to recurrent ear infections but had failed to provide Raven with veterinary treatment for them. After Raven was removed from the facility, she was found to be underweight and ravenous. Veterinary staff who examined and treated her described “severe” infections and mites in both ears, which they noted were painful, and suspected were “secondary to self-trauma” because she had scratched at them continually. Another cat removed from the facility, a gray tabby, was emaciated, ravenous, and suffering from diarrhea, generalized muscle atrophy, eye discharge, and thinning hair. She was dehydrated, with a weak femoral pulse and an abnormally fast heart rate. After weeks of treatment, she was still underweight, with “subnormal” muscle mass, and was humanely euthanized to prevent suffering. If it weren’t for PETA’s investigation, this cat would have suffered and died slowly at Ozier’s facility.

Ozier has shown that any animals in her custody—at Isaiah 11, her home, or anywhere else—are in danger of neglect. Please let us know that you will not only file criminal charges against Ozier but also protect animals from potential future cruelty by ensuring that she’s legally prevented from possessing them. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Sarah Deffinger

Senior Evidence Analyst