Two people charged after 5 dead dogs, 2 dead cats found in Fox Lake home

A pair of Des Plaines residents face multiple felony animal cruelty charges stemming from the discovery of five dead dogs and two dead cats in a Fox Lake home they previously rented.

Cathryn N. Franke, 33, and Thomas J. Gilhooly, 38, both of the 8900 block of David Place, are charged with seven counts each of aggravated cruelty to animals, Lake County sheriff's police announced Wednesday.

Both were in custody at the Lake County jail Wednesday on $100,000 bail, pending scheduled court appearances Friday.

The arrests of Franke and Gilhooly on Tuesday culminated an investigation that began Jan. 6, when a sheriff's deputy was enforcing a court-ordered eviction at their previous home in the 0-100 block of Hilltop Avenue in Fox Lake.

Sheriff's police say the deputy was overcome by an extraordinarily foul odor after entering the home, which was covered in animal urine and feces. The deputy later located five deceased dogs, all in different stages of decomposition, along with two dead cats in advanced stages of decomposition, authorities say.

Fox Lake police were called, and police and village authorities continued the investigation into Franke and Gilhooly, police said. Following their investigation, the police department obtained arrest warrants for the pair.

On Tuesday, the Lake County Sheriff's Warrants Team located Gilhooly and Franke living in Des Plaines and arrested them without incident, according to the sheriff's office.