Two women charged after neglected dog found starving and abandoned in rostraver apartment

Investigators say the Shih Tzu was left without food, water, or heat for nearly two weeks before being found barely alive.

Rostraver Township, Pa. – Two women are facing felony animal cruelty charges after police say a dog was discovered abandoned in a Rostraver Township apartment in January, suffering from starvation and hypothermia so severe that veterinarians were forced to euthanize it.

Key Points

Police say the dog was left alone for about two weeks without food or water.
The apartment was filled with feces, unheated, and measured about 45°F.
Two women, Skylar Majors-Frost and Kisha Bradley, have been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals, and neglect.

Disturbing discovery

According to the Rostraver Township Police Department, officers were called to the Rostraver Apartments after property management received complaints about a dog barking and an unbearable odor coming from one of the units.

When maintenance staff entered the apartment, they found the residence in deplorable condition — covered in animal feces, without heat, and filled with trash. Inside a closet, a maintenance worker discovered a small Shih Tzu dog barely breathing and near death.

Police rushed the dog to a local animal hospital, but veterinarians determined that the animal was too weak to recover and had to be humanely euthanized.

A necropsy later revealed that the dog had suffered from prolonged malnutrition, starvation, and hypothermia.

Investigation and charges

Investigators determined that the apartment’s previous tenant, Skylar Majors-Frost, had recently been hospitalized for about 10 days. Majors-Frost told police that she had asked Kisha Bradley, of Monessen, to care for the dog during her absence.

However, police say neither woman provided the animal with food, water, or proper shelter during that period.

As a result, both Majors-Frost and Bradley were charged with:

Aggravated cruelty to animals (felony)
Cruelty to animals (misdemeanor)
Neglect of animals (summary offense)

Community reaction

Authorities and local residents have expressed outrage over the case, which highlights ongoing concerns about pet neglect and abandonment in the region.

Rostraver police emphasized that leaving an animal unattended — even temporarily — without food, water, or adequate shelter constitutes criminal neglect under Pennsylvania’s animal cruelty laws.

Anyone with information about animal abuse or neglect in Rostraver Township is urged to contact the Rostraver Township Police Department or submit a tip through Crimewatch Westmoreland County.

Tags: Rostraver Township, animal cruelty, Westmoreland County

animal cruelty

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