An Arkansas man has been arrested in connection with a dead and abused dog after allegedly making a disturbing confession.
The incident was first reported to authorities on Aug. 20 after a nine-year-old boy in Izard County went to feed his dog and found it dead.
A call was then made to authorities, alerting them to animal cruelty.
Deputies from the Izard County Sheriff’s Department responded to the call from the boy’s father, who alerted authorities to disturbing details.
According to Ozark Radio News, the boy’s father identified his then-farmhand as an animal abuser as authorities were investigating the case.
He told deputies that he confronted the farmhand, 19-year-old Timothy Fear of Calico Rock, and was given a terrifying confession.
Fear, the incident report says, admitted to seven people that he killed the boy’s pet dog and sexually abused its corpse.
Jail roster information from the Izard County Sheriff’s Department shows Fear was booked on the afternoon of Aug. 20 on charges of cruelty to animals and bestiality.
Both of the counts, despite their grotesque nature, are misdemeanors.
Fear is currently being held without bond.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violence against animals is no longer being seen as an isolated issue, but a potential indicator of something much darker.
“Historically, animal cruelty has been considered an isolated issue, but recent research shows a well-documented link that it is a predictive or co-occurring crime with violence against humans (including intimate partners, children, and elders) and is associated with other types of violent offenses,” according to the FBI’s online Law Enforcement Bulletine.
The bureau also mentioned the danger facing children around animal abuse.
“Other studies have shown that half of all children are exposed to animal cruelty at some point in their lives,” the FBI’s post reads.
“Children who are exposed to interpersonal violence (IPV) at home are 60 times more likely to suffer emotional maltreatment and physical abuse or neglect. These circumstances place children at an increased risk of perpetuating the cycle of violence in the future due to desensitization and the belief that violence is an acceptable way to resolve interpersonal conflict.”
Animal cruelty is also a reliable indicator of the potential to commit many other crimes, according to the FBI.
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