CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) – The body of a dog belonging to former New England Patriot Jerod Mayo has been found.
According to the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Knox’s body was found in a Cranston home where the dog’s trainer resided.
The RISPCA said Knox – a 5-year-old English bulldog – died while in the custody of trainer Ameila Ferreira.
Ferreira was arraigned on an obstruction charge and released on personal recognizance following an arraignment at Kent County District Court Monday afternoon.
The RISPCA said Ferreira knew about the whereabouts of Knox’s body for several weeks and intentionally concealed his body from authorities.
The organization said the cause of death is unknown and additional charges may follow pending the results of a necropsy.
Police told Eyewitness News last month Ferriera initially told investigators the dog went missing while on a walk in late June, then changed her story and told them he disappeared from his crate.
During Monday’s arraignment, Cranston Police Inspector Karen Disano said Ferreira eventually admitted she left the dog in a crate and after she came home to find him dead, she put the dog in a plastic bag and left him behind a shed. Disano said Ferreira told police she brought the dog back inside the house about a week later.
“Unfortunately, the answers we prayed for regarding Knox aren’t ones we were ready to face,” Mayo said in an Instagram post. “We raised Knox like our child as you guys can see from our photos and those of you who know us. It hurts to have to accept that our beloved Knox was thought of as trash as they saw our family hurting.”
Mayo went on to thank those people who helped in the search for Knox, saying “We still have work to do…..we need to bring awareness to this problem so it never happens again.”
According to police, Ferriera lives above a man whose five dogs were seized after police found them living in squalid conditions.
