An Oklahoma woman was arrested and jailed late Friday on suspicion of second-degree murder and animal cruelty after police performing a welfare check discovered both a human corpse and 165 dogs in her home. Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies say Karen Jean Prichard, 49, was running a puppy mill out of her Marlow, Oklahoma house. Authorities investigated after receiving a report of a suspected injury or death, and they discovered the body of Ashley Nicole Anderson, 31, in an ancillary building. Sheriff Wayne McKinney said he believed Anderson was on the property to help with the dogs and that she died from blunt force injuries. The 165 canines, McKinney said, were in “deplorable” conditions. Kelly Nelson of the Stephens County Humane Society, who assisted with rescuing the dogs, said, “It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life. We were called by the sheriff’s department because of the number of animals and because they had no water, no food and no shelter. They were matted, filthy, scared and hungry,” Nelson said.
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