Fake Pet Ashes Spark Couple's Arrest In Baltimore County: Prosecutors

CATONSVILLE, MD — A couple that owns a Baltimore County animal cremation business faces dozens of charges after being accused of giving fake ashes to the owners of deceased pets, prosecutors told Patch on Monday.

Court records show that Yalanda McMullen Ward, 56, was arrested on Aug. 22 and released on $10,000 bond. Case files say her husband, 55-year-old Rodney Orlando Ward, was arrested on Aug. 27 and held without bond.

The Wards, who live together in Baltimore, own Loving Care Pet Cremations in Catonsville. The victims, who say their pets were never actually cremated, live across the Baltimore area and into Anne Arundel County. Their story came to light this spring after multiple reports said dozens of decomposing animal bodies were found in a hearse and on the side of a road.

The Wards each face two felony theft counts and 54 misdemeanor offenses, most of which are for malicious destruction of property. The theft counts allege that the couple stole at least $26,500 during the scheme, which court documents say stretched from at least August 2024 through this March.

"It’s validating our pets, that they were ours, they’re our family, they’re not just creatures that you think they are," Nikki Pickens, who said she received falsified remains after her cat's death, told The Baltimore Banner.

Baltimore pet crematory operator Zoey Robinson-Budreski told The Banner that at least 60 people were given fake ashes. She told The Banner she examined some of the cases and found that the supposed remains contained wire, screws and other debris.

"I feel obligated to help these people. It’s a calling, something I have to do to make it right," Robinson-Budreski told The Banner, referring to the pet owners. "These people have become my friends."

Related: Catonsville Pet Crematorium Accused Of Giving Fake Ashes: Reports

Remains Found In Hearse

The Baltimore County Police Department announced in April that it was "investigating a theft by deception involving the business Loving Care Pet Cremations." Officers said they were "notified of an improper disposal complaint at the beginning of April regarding animal remains."

WBAL-TV reported that the investigation gained steam after the bodies of five dogs, a cat and a bunny were found alongside a road.

WMAR said authorities then searched the crematorium owner's home and found 38 decaying animal bodies in a hearse on the property.

"Some of them were a soupy mess, not really sure. There were various stages of decomposition. There was liquid leaking out of the hearse, some of them were new, some of them were old. There were a lot of dead flies there, that tells us something as well," Baltimore County Assistant State's Attorney Adam Lippe told WMAR.

Eric and Gail Cook of Glen Burnie contacted Loving Care Pet Cremations on March 23 after the death of their 13-year-old black German shepherd named Raven, The Baltimore Banner reported. The Banner said the couple later learned that Raven was found dumped on the side of a road, still wrapped in a blanket with her toys.

"We’re just speechless," Gail Cook told The Banner. "How could someone do something like this?"

The Banner said the supposed ashes that pet owners received were really sand, flour or concrete.

Juanita Logan told WJZ she received a bag of sand after her 14-year-old cat Tygga Man Logan died in October 2024.

"I feel like I failed him because they just tossed him away," Logan told WJZ. "I just pray that through all the remains that they found in that hearse, that they will find him and whatever is left of him, I can get the real ashes."

The Baltimore Sun said Charm City Pet Crematory and a forensic anthropologist from Loyola University Maryland tested the remains.

Charm City Pet Crematory hosted a candlelight vigil for affected families on May 10 in Baltimore.

Loving Care Pet Cremations was unlicensed and unregistered with the state Department of Assessments and Taxation, The Sun said, noting that the business supposedly operated out of 800 Ingleside Ave. WJZ, however, found no sign of the business when it visited that address.

The owner denied any wrongdoing and told WBAL-TV that he outsources the cremations.

Detectives asked anybody with information to call 410-887-5163.