Iowa Woman Faces Neglect Charges After Mass Pig Death

A Sac County woman has been arrested after officials responded to reports of livestock neglect.

According to a release from the Sheriff's office, Elana May Laber, a 33-year-old woman in Early, Iowa was arrested on June 30^th after over 1,000 dead pigs were discovered between two consignment sites.

During an investigation, law enforcement interviewed Laber where she told them that the breakers that control the electricity in the confinements were shut off the night before the pigs’ death. After a veterinarian inspection, it was determined that the pigs had been left dead for at least a week.

In the interview, Laber told law enforcement that she knew the pigs were dead during that time, but she left them not knowing what to do. All the pigs were at different stages of decomposition and they all had no access to feed or water.

The pigs were owned by Corey AGR, Inv from Lytton, Iowa. The estimated value of the loss is $150,000.

Laber was arrested and charged with two counts of criminal mischief 1^st degree and two counts of livestock neglect.  She is currently being held in the Sac County Jail on a $22,000 cash bond.

This is the second Iowan in June to be charged with a mass pig death from neglect.

Derek Smith turned himself into Fayette County deputies on June 9th after an investigation was opened for livestock neglect charges. The investigation was opened after a criminal complaint accusing Smith of neglecting 3,200 feeder hogs on June 2nd.

The neglect led to 3,000 hogs dying from “lack of feed” and the other 200 being killed because of the condition they were found in.