Animal cruelty in Austin: 1 dog dead, 1 other found severely underweight; man arrested

64-year-old Nelson Egwu

A man was arrested for animal cruelty charges, police said. 

One dog was found dead and severely underweight, while another dog was found underweight and chained up. Police said both were living in a hot and unsanitary garage. 

Animal cruelty in Austin

The backstory:

Police said on August 31, officers responded to 13625 Coomer Path regarding two dogs living inside a hot and unsanitary garage without access to food or water.

When officers arrived, one dog was found dead and severely underweight, while the other dog was found underweight and chained in an area with feces and urine. A third dog was also found on the property.

A necropsy of the dead god revealed he died from heat exposure, potentially combined with dehydration and poor body condition. 

The two living dogs were immediately provided with food and water and were taken to Austin Animal Services for evaluation. They are expected to make a full recovery and will be put up for adoption. 

Dig deeper:

Two animal cruelty arrest warrants were issued for 64-year-old Nelson Egwu. One was a third-degree felony for the dead dog, and the other was related to the chained dog. 

Egwu was taken into custody and booked into the Travis County Jail. 

The Austin Police Department said during September 2026, 11 arrest warrants were issued in connection to animal cruelty. 

What you can do:

If you know someone abusing an animal, you can report it by calling Austin 9-1-1, online via www.ireportaustin.com, or through Austin 3-1-1. You can also reach the Animal Cruelty Unit via email at APDAnimalCruelty@austintexas.gov. 

The Source: Information from an Austin Police Department press release on Oct. 13

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