SAN MARCOS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Weeks after a pet cremation service in San Marcos shut down suddenly, owners are still waiting for answers and their pets’ ashes.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office said no arrests have been made but reiterated that detectives are actively investigating Angel Paws Pet Cremation for potential fraud after deputies executed a search warrant at the business on Friday.
After trusting Angel Paws for years, Denise Parker said she never expected trouble getting her dog Murphy Brown’s remains back after he died in August.
She did last Tuesday with the help of sheriff’s deputies.
“I had to dig through four freezers before I found him,” Parker said.
Parker said she called 9-1-1 after she and others showed up demanding accountability from business owner Chris Settle, only to be ignored.
When FOX 5/KUSI reporter Jennifer Franco last messaged with him, Settle said he was working to finish returning pets’ remains to their owners and blamed his landlord for having to cease operations but did not say why or when exactly.
“I had found out the gas was cut off on July 5, so I put two and two together and know that my dog was not cremated,” said Parker, adding that before recently getting her dog’s frozen remains back, she had received some other pets’ ashes.
Meanwhile, others are still seeking closure.
“I know that she’s been thawed and refrozen and thawed and I just want her back,” Jeremy Smith said.
He and his wife Mallori are holding onto hope but still doesn’t know where their dog Razor’s remains are after their vet contracted with Angel Paws.
Pet owner Brooke McCourt said she’s waited even longer for answers about her cat, Dante.
“It’s just been a really traumatizing experience to not be able to really know what’s going on with things. It’s been since June 22,” McCourt said.
Meanwhile, Sorrento Valley Pet Cemetery is stepping into help and has received more than 30 pets.
“They were decomposed beyond recognition. Something I have never seen in my life,” said General Manager Gerry Wellman.
Wellman estimates there are about 150 pets still in freezers inside Angel Paws, but he has returned about 7 pets to owners for free.
He said others who have been impacted by the closure at Angel Paws can contact Sorrento Valley Pet Cemetery with any identifying information about their pet and if they receive more from Angel Paws, they will work to provide afterlife care and closure to families.
FOX 5/KUSI is also told as soon as the landlord evicts the business owner, he plans to identify and reunite pets with owners by connecting with them through the email address bestfriendsunitedsd@gmail.com. It’s unclear when the eviction will be finalized.
Anyone with information related to Angel Paws Pet Cremation or anyone who believes that you may have been a victim of a financial crime should contact the San Marcos Sheriff’s Station at 760-510-5200.
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