The Mountaineer

Four-year-old finds disemboweled feline hanging from noose

A 26-year-old man from the Bethel area is in police custody on charges of animal cruelty, accused of gutting a cat and hanging the carcass from a neighbor’s mailbox. 

Brandon Mathews of Bethel Drive in Canton was arrested Monday night, jailed under $3,000 bond, accused of killing and gutting a stray cat, hanging the carcass from neighbor Jennifer Haney’s mailbox.

Haney’s aunt, Suzie Hoyle, discovered the mess while checking on her niece’s home.

“We backed into the driveway and there it was hanging on the mailbox,” said Hoyle. “The cat was crucified on a stick, its paws were nailed to the stick and you could tell it had been drowned. The long intestines were also wrapped around the stick to make it look like the cat was nailed to the post the way Jesus was nailed to the cross.”

Haney who was not home Monday when the carcass was found said she’s been scared to go home since last week when a similar incident occurred. On Thursday, Haney’s 4-year-old daughter discovered a disemboweled cat hanging from a noose on the front porch of their home.

“I’m most disturbed that my daughter has seen this,” said Haney. “I don’t need to be put through this, and my children don’t need to be put through this. I don’t know what this guy’s problem is. I’m scared to go home, and I might be moving because of this. I’m very disturbed by it. It’s not right.”

While Haney suspects Mathews is responsible for gutting and hanging both cats, no charges stemming from the initial incident have been filed. Haney believes the alleged cruel acts were done out of revenge.

“He got in trouble and thinks I called it in,” said Haney. “But I didn’t.”

The cat found hanging from Haney’s mailbox Monday was a stray that’s been roaming around the neighborhood for two years, she said.

“That cat was alive on my porch yesterday morning,” said Haney. “It’s a stray cat but everybody feeds it.”

Hoyle said she also saw the cat wandering through an open field near Haney’s home around 5 p.m. Monday. A deputy on patrol passed by the house around 5:30 p.m. and reported nothing suspicious. The carcass was found nailed to a piece of wood, hanging from Haney’s mailbox around 7:15 p.m. by her aunt and mother who immediately notified authorities.

Haywood County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and animal control was called to dispose of the carcass. During the ensuing investigation, interviews with witnesses linked Mathews to the most recent incident for which he faces a felony charge accused of animal cruelty. At press time Tuesday, he remained confined to jail under secured bond. He will first appear in court Dec. 2.

Hoyle said she is concerned that if Mathews is released on bond, other animals in the area may be at risk.

“The main thing is, if he’s doing that to strays what is he going to progress to?” said Hoyle. “What’s he going to kill next? We’re more concerned about the animals than we are anything else. It’s scary to think he’s out there doing this.”