Court documents: Animals found at Sturbridge property were left in cages to die

STURBRIDGE ― A 28-year-old man is facing charges after 96 dead animals – including chickens, geese, pigs, ducks and rabbits – were discovered at a property he was renting in Sturbridge, according to police and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Andrew M. Sebastiano, formerly of Norfolk, appeared in Dudley District Court on Wednesday and was ordered held without bail pending a dangerous hearing on Tuesday. Judge Jaclyn Greenhalgh entered not guilty pleas on each of the close to 200 charges facing the defendant.

In a joint press release from Sturbridge Police and the MSPCA, Sebastiano is listed as being from Marlborough. He faces 96 charges of animal cruelty, subsequent offense, and 96 charges of animal cruelty by custodian, subsequent offense, the release said.

The dead animals were discovered on New Boston Road, weeks after Sebastiano had left the property, according to the statement of facts written by Sturbridge police officer Ronald J. Obuchowski.

On March 19, the owner of the property called Michelle Connors, the animal control officer, to report that animals that her former tenant, Sebastiano, left in steel cages in the backyard were deceased, according to the statement of facts.

The animals included chickens, pigs and ducks.

According to the property owner, Sebastiano took up residence in a spare bedroom located in the basement of the home in February 2024.

During this time, Sebastiano was given permission by the property owner to have a pet dog.

As Sebastiano was staying at the residence, he received permission from the property owner to purchase rabbits, chickens and geese.

On March 21, Connors responded to assist the property owner to begin the process of removing the deceased animals. Connors found eight dead geese/ducks, 11 dead rabbits, 73 dead chickens, two dead pigs and two dead rabbits, according to the statement of facts.

Connors said the 96 dead animals were in various stages of decomposition. Some species could not be property identified due to the advanced stages of decomposition, according to the statement of facts.

The MSPCA Angell Pathology Department completed the postmortem report and found evidences that two rabbits died of starvation from exogenous causes, such as inadequate access to food, inappropriate diet or inadequate quantity/quality of food, according to the statement of facts.

The material found in the stomach of one of the rabbits may represent digested dirt, feces or bedding material given the lack of feed available in the animal enclosure. No underlying disease process is evident in either rabbit, according to the statement of facts.

The MSPCA, the Sturbridge Police Department and Connors alleged that Sebastiano knowingly allowed 96 animals to remain in unsanitary conditions without proper shelter, food and water, causing unnecessary suffering and cruelty.

In addition, Sebastiano also failed to take adequate steps while away for four dogs in the basement for 22 hours on Feb. 5 to 6, causing unnecessary suffering or cruelty when the dogs remained in unsanitary conditions, according to the statement of facts.  

“This is an extremely disturbing case of animal cruelty, none like I have seen in my career," Police Chief Earl Dessert said. "The sheer number of animals that suffered and perished is truly heartbreaking. We are grateful for our strong partnership with MSPCA Law Enforcement, whose expertise was invaluable in this investigation. I also commend my officers who worked tirelessly on this investigation from the onset to make sure the individual involved was arrested and brought to justice.”

“We’re grateful to Sturbridge Police for collaborating with us on this and helping find the suspect,” said Chris Schindler, the MSPCA law enforcement director. “This was a devastating scene, and we wish that we had been able to intercede in the weeks before these animals perished, but, unfortunately, the call came too late.”

Sebastiano was arrested Tuesday. Police seized one adult dog during the release; the dog is in the care of the MSPCA.

Previously, Sebastiano was charged with six counts of animal cruelty. Guilty findings were found in three cases in 2019 in Taunton District Court, one case in 2019 in Plymouth District Court and two cases in 2018 in Attleboro District Court.