Neighbors claim pets poisoned with antifreeze

PORT ORANGE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Residents at the Ashton Point Apartment Homes in Port Orange say someone has killed nearly 20 cats and even one family's service dog.

"She was our baby. She was perfect," said Summer Kocci of her 7-month old service puppy, named "Vegas."

It has left her 7-year old son devastated, she said.

"He's completely heartbroken. He can't make it through the day without crying."

Kocci said there used to be around 20-cats that hung out around her building, then things got weird.  She says she she found a bowl of antifreeze in some nearby bushes.  A neighbor found another.

"And then we started smelling weird stuff around the apartments and then our buildings started smelling weird," explains Kealyn Magnotti.
"Then we started to put it together. Once they all started popping up dead, then we knew for sure."

Residents received a warning letter from the complex, alerting them to "antifreeze left on animal food … in an attempt to poison animals."

"Make sure you keep your children close and your animals close," Kocci adds.

Koccie says a veterinarian who tried to save her pup confirmed that the dog had died from antifreeze poisoning.

"It's disgusting. I can't believe that somebody would go to this length to kill something… and that's not even bothering them."

Anyone with information about the poisonings is asked to contact the Port Orange Police Department.