Florida woman poisoned dogs with antifreeze, left them to die in kennel, deputies say

NAPLES, Fla. - A former Florida woman was arrested after investigators said she intentionally poisoned her two dogs and abandoned them inside a vacant Naples apartment, according to the Collier County Sheriff's Office. 

Naples police investigation

The backstory:

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, Erica Michelle Evans, 35, was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona by police on Wednesday. 

Deputies say they responded to an apartment off Immokalee Road in October 2024 after neighbors reported a foul odor coming from a vacant unit for about a month. 

Inside, investigators said they found two dead dogs inside a locked kennel. CCSO said the apartment had no power, and was infested with flies and other insects. 

The dogs — a 13-year-old female American bulldog named Zora and a 9-year-old male English bulldog named Bronson — were taken to the University of Florida Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Necropsies determined both animals died from ethylene glycol intoxication, a dangerous chemical found in antifreeze.

Further investigation revealed Evans had left Florida and moved to Arizona to live with family. Phoenix police served the CCSO warrant and took Evans into custody, where she now faces extradition back to Florida.

Investigators with the CCSO Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance determined Evans intentionally poisoned Zora and Bronson with antifreeze before leaving them to die inside the locked kennel. 

Evans is charged with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty.

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