Genesee County, Mich. – Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton charged a Flint Township couple with two felonies and a misdemeanor after police submitted investigation reports and a request for warrants.
Kim Mitchell Shires, 65, and Brenda Marie Shires, 61, are each charged with one count of abandoning/cruelty to 25 or more animals, a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison; one count of killing/torturing animals, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison; and a misdemeanor for failing to properly dispose of dead animals, which carries a minimum 30-day jail sentence.
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Flint Township police said Genesee County Animal Control received a complaint Feb. 11, 2026, about a home on Elms Road that reportedly had more than 50 dogs on the property and several deceased animals.
When officers and animal control arrived, they reported finding 69 animals on the property: 65 dogs and four cats, and an additional 26 dogs and one cat were found dead.
Surviving animals were transported to Genesee County Animal Control for necropsies, medical exams, and treatment, and officials organized a public emergency adoption event for animals cleared for adoption, the reports said.
Officers described the scene as squalid and hazardous.
They reported barking so loud it was difficult to hear one another, and a smell of urine and feces that burned their eyes and skin and made breathing difficult.
They said floors were covered in waste, the flooring throughout the home was rotting, and all animals were covered in excrement and fleas.
Officers said they found several black garbage bags near the front door and a pile of garbage bags in the yard that smelled of decomposition and contained dead dogs.
Seven puppies aged five to six weeks were noted to have bloated abdomens, and officers said every dog older than that had new or old bite wounds to the ears or muzzles.
A male dog was euthanized after veterinarians found an abdominal buildup of fluid so massive that it restricted breathing and mobility.
Veterinarians at Genesee County Animal Control reported the dog weighed 64 pounds when first examined and 34 pounds after the fluid was drained; they found infections and adult worms in the small bowel and concluded the animal had been suffering and unable to eat enough, according to incident records.
Records indicate the Shireses previously lived in Tennessee, where authorities reported more than a dozen animals living in poor conditions and four deceased animals found in a deep freezer.
Flint Township police said the Shireses were not home when officers began the Feb. 11 investigation and that their whereabouts remain unknown.
Anyone with information on the location of Kim Mitchell or Brenda Marie should call the Flint Township Police Department at (810) 600-3250.