UPDATE: PETA urges full prosecution, footage review in Monroe County puppy deaths case

The group also wants psychological counseling and a permanent animal-contact ban included in any sentence if Santillan is convicted.

UPDATE (7/14/2026): People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says it sent a letter Tuesday to Towaliga Judicial Circuit District Attorney Dorothy Hull urging her office to prosecute Carlos Santillan “to the fullest extent of the law.”

PETA also asked Hull to review past surveillance footage from the Monroe County Animal Shelter to determine whether additional charges could be warranted. The group wants Santillan to receive psychological counseling and be permanently barred from having contact with animals if he is convicted.

Here’s the full letter:

July 14, 2026

Dorothy Hull
District Attorney
Towaliga Judicial Circuit

Dear Ms. Hull:

I hope you’re well. I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 144,000 members and supporters in Georgia in support of the felony charges filed against Carlos Santillan. Our office has been hearing from individuals from Georgia and beyond who are deeply distraught by media reports describing Santillan’s horrific and cruel killing of puppies at the Monroe County Animal Shelter. Santillan was employed by the county as an animal control officer and was evidently the interim director of the animal control agency, a division entrusted to uphold local and state laws designed to protect animals from violence and cruelty.

According to media reports that include statements made by Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman, surveillance footage captured Santillan at the facility as he placed four live puppies into an incinerator and burned them to death. Freeman said that Santillan “appeared to act without hesitation” and apparently “felt comfortable doing it.” We hope your office will order a careful review of any past footage to determine if additional charges may be in order.

Georgia Code § 16-12-4 – Cruelty to Animals states:

(b) A person commits the offense of cruelty to animals when he or she:

(1) Causes physical pain, suffering, or death to an animal by any unjustifiable act or omission

Santillan’s egregious torture of and extreme cruelty to four small, helpless puppies indicate a clear violation of state law and a serious level of depravity. Accordingly, we urge you to prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law. Upon conviction, Santillan’s sentencing should include mandated psychological counseling and a permanent ban on having any contact with animals in a personal or professional capacity.

Thank you for your hard work for Monroe County’s residents. Please let me know if PETA can be of any assistance.

UPDATE: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Anna Watkins confirmed the puppies were alive when they were placed in the incinerator.

ORIGINAL STORY:

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Four puppies were killed and incinerated at the Monroe County Animal Shelter, leading to felony charges for a county animal control officer.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, investigators received a complaint on July 6 that sparked the case.

Sheriff Brad Freeman says that the complaint led deputies to begin an immediate investigation.

“We received a citizen complaint that they had information that he had killed some puppies, and we immediately started an investigation,” Freeman said.

Authorities arrested Carlos Santillan and charged him with four counts of felony animal cruelty.

Freeman says the investigation is still active and could expand.

“There was some other allegations that maybe he had been stealing time, and that aspect of the case is still under investigation,” Freeman said.

Officials say additional charges could be filed as they continue looking into other complaints.