LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – An arrest report is revealing disturbing new details about a severe case of animal hoarding in the Las Vegas Valley.
The report paints a more vivid picture of what Las Vegas police and animal control officers discovered inside a local couple’s home and hotel rooms.
Timothy Miller and Carolyn Luke were arrested after Boulder City police say they found dead animals in their car during a traffic stop.
On March 29 around 7:30 p.m., a Metro animal cruelty unit officer responded to an animal complaint call at a home address in the 89117 zip code. Per Las Vegas City Animal Control, they needed assistance investigating after receiving a call from the Boulder City Police Department about their traffic stop with Carolyn Luke and Timothy Miller. Boulder City police said the couple admitted to having more animals at two other locations – one at a hotel only described as “Inn” in the report as well as at the residence. Animal Control officers said approximately 20 live dogs and 10 dead dogs are inside the residence.
The arrest report says Miller and Luke told Boulder City officers the exact amount of dead and live animals at the locations.
Over at the unnamed hotel, staff evicted Luke and Miller from their room due to many animal complaints from other guests. The complaints ranged from “quantity of animals and the smell of death from the room.” They also violated many hotel policies. Police say a hotel reservation was made by Miller for March 28 through March 30.
The hotel staff provided a room key so officers could make entry.
The following animals were discovered:
- 39 guinea pigs
- 1 rabbit
- 2 hamsters
- 21 live dogs
- 12 dead dogs
Inside the home, the report shows, officers found dogs living in their own feces, as well as multiple filthy aquariums, bird cages, and hamster enclosures. The “ammonia smell” caused officers’ lungs to burn and eyes to water. Turtles with soft shells were found, indicating a lack of proper diet and hydration. Documents show they also discovered some 42 deceased animals in the freezer.
During a taped interview with a Metro detective, Luke admitted she was having ongoing issues with her neighbor, which prompted her to take multiple animals to the hotel to hide them from neighbors and animal control officers as she knew that she was not supposed to have too many animals.
She also admitted that she did not allow animal control officers to go inside the residence during a previous visit. She stated she wanted to clean the residence before allowing officers inside.
She continued to elaborate on the situation, admitting the dogs’ deaths were due to heatstroke. She claimed it was a tragedy that they died. Miller and Luke put the dogs in a bag and kept them in the hotel room until they were able to bury or cremate them. Officers noted there was never a call to animal control or even self-transporting the sick dogs to the vet or hospital.
Luke told the detective she and Miller were on the way to the stateline to give her friend multiple guinea pigs as it was getting too difficult for them to take care of. She told Boulder City officers she did not believe there were dead guinea pigs in the car as they’d only been in there for 30 minutes and she fed them before they left the home.
She went on to say there’s not going to be any dead animals in her residence despite dozens of animals being found lifeless. She often referred to them as her babies and stated they took care of all the animals.
Detectives attempted to complete a taped interview with Miller but declined to answer without his attorney present, according to the report.
Miller and Luke face 14 counts of willful and malicious torture of an animal.
The couple will be back in court on August 22.
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