Ayer woman facing 30 counts of animal cruelty after 162 animals seized from home, DA says
A 77-year-old Ayer woman facing numerous animal cruelty charges faced a judge on Monday after 162 animals were seized from her home, authorities said.
Ruth Maxant-Schulz was arraigned in Ayer District Court on 30 counts of animal cruelty, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Ayer Police Chief Brian Gill, and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Officers conducting a well-being check at a home on Taft Street in Ayer on Feb. 20, 2024, are said to have observed animals roaming outside the property, including two ponies, several goats, and ducks.
Authorities said officers then found two dead goats at the front door of the house and three dead baby goats lying next to each other inside, as well as several other goats inside a room that was covered in trash, animal feces, and debris.
A thorough search of Maxant-Schulz’s home yielded two additional baby goats lying next to each other, one dead and the second alive but unwell, officials said. Officers also heard a dog barking from a back room and saw a duck walking around the house.
When Ayer police returned to the home for a second search on Feb. 23, they reportedly found a dog crate containing various fowl with no access to food or water. Tufts veterinarians were called to the scene and told police that there was “a likely risk to the animals’ health due to the nature of the property and the animals’ inability to access nutritious food and water.”
“The veterinarians believed the animals were likely in a state of neglect and therefore believed it was necessary to remove the animals from the property,” authorities explained in a statement. “An injured adult goat was observed limping around the property with a broken leg. He was treated immediately by Tufts veterinarians and removed from the property.”
Of the animals seized from the property, there were specific injuries and medical issues noted, including emaciated animals and goats with severe abscesses and mastitis. Several fowl seized on the property were treated for lice. A total of 162 animals were seized throughout the two warrant executions, including 49 goats, 91 chickens, 11 ducks, eight geese, two ponies, and one dog.
Maxant-Schulz was released on personal recognizance and ordered not to possess animals, not to work with animals, not to live with animals, or have unsupervised contact with animals.
Maxant-Schulz also surrendered all rights to the animals that were seized.
She is due back in court on June 20 for a pretrial hearing.
Ayer is a small town in Middlesex County, close to Devens and northwest of Concord. The town had a population of 8,408 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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