Burnsville Woman Charged In The Fatal Stabbing Of Fiance's Dog

BURNSVILLE, MN— A Burnsville woman is facing charges in connection with the fatal stabbing of her fiance's Labrador retriever, according to a criminal complaint filed in Minnesota's 1st Judicial District Court.

Barbara Ann Crosby, 46, was charged with mistreatment of animals, officials said. If found guilty, she could spend up to two years in prison or pay a fine of up to $5,000 or both, officials said.

Lakeville police found the dead Labrador retriever tied to a tree on a Lakeville walking trail on March 27, officials said.

A necropsy done by the University of Minnesota's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory determined that the cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the neck, officials said. The necropsy also revealed that the dog had been injected with pain medications and a medication used to treat anxiety, officials said.

Police identified the dog as belonging to Crosby's fiance, who was not identified. Crosby didn't like the dog and would usually push him away and call him names, officials said. After the dog was killed, Crosby told a relative of her fiance that she previously wished the dog would die to take the burden off of her and her fiance, officials said.

Crosby had been walking the dog prior to his death, officials said. Officers saw scratches on Crosby that appeared to have come from a dog, officials said.

Multiple items of Crosby's clothing were found near the area where the dog was found, and testing showed that they had nonhuman blood on them, police said. Crosby also had an active prescription for one of the medications that was injected into the dog, officials said.