Police crime scene tape

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A Massachusetts woman has been convicted on 30 counts of animal cruelty after officers found dead and neglected animals across her home and barn, authorities said. 

Ruth Maxant-Schulz, 78, of Ayer, received a one-and-a-half-year jail sentence that was suspended for two years as long as she has no pets, does not farm, and completes a mental health evaluation, the Middlesex District Attorney said. She must also serve two years of probation. 

Maxant-Schulz was found guilty following a five-day trial, the prosecutor said. 

The case began when Ayer Police went to her Taft Street home in February 2024 for a welfare check. Officers saw animals roaming the yard, including two ponies, goats, and ducks. They found two dead goats at the front door and more goats inside a room filled with trash and animal waste, the prosecutor said. 

Three dead baby goats were found inside. Another pair of baby goats was discovered. One was dead. The other was alive but unwell.

A dog barked from a back room. A duck walked through the house. The animal control officer heard baby goats crying and saw no food or water for them, authorities said. 

A search warrant days later revealed conditions had not changed. Officers found a dog crate holding fowl without food or water. Tufts veterinarians said the animals were likely at risk and needed to be removed, and they treated an adult goat with a broken leg.

A later search of the barn revealed more dead and decomposing goats and chickens. Many animals were emaciated or suffering from infections and covered in lice, the prosecutor said. 

In total, 162 animals were seized. MSPCA-Angell cared for all of them.