WINK News Digital Team
•9/17/2026
NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — A former Naples woman is in custody in Arizona after being arrested on a Collier County Sheriff's Office warrant charging her with two counts of aggravated animal cruelty in the deaths of her two dogs.
35-year-old Erica Michelle Evans was arrested Wednesday in Phoenix by Phoenix police officers. She is awaiting extradition to Collier County to face the felony charges.
The case began in October 2024, when deputies responded to an apartment at Addison Place off Immokalee Road after a foul odor reportedly came from the vacant unit for about a month. Inside, deputies found two deceased dogs in a kennel.
The apartment had no power and was infested with flies and other insects. The dogs, Zora, a 13-year-old female American bulldog, and Bronson, a 9-year-old male English bulldog, were transported to the University of Florida Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsies.
The examinations determined both dogs died from ethylene glycol intoxication, the chemical found in antifreeze. An investigation by the CCSO Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance determined Evans intentionally poisoned the dogs with antifreeze and then left them to die in the locked kennel inside the apartment, which she had vacated.
Detectives obtained a warrant to arrest Evans. Further investigation revealed she moved to Arizona, where she was living with family.
"This is a particularly heinous case of animal cruelty because of the deliberate nature of the crime and the suffering these dogs endured," Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said.
"Our Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance detectives worked diligently to uncover what happened to Zora and Bronson and hold the person accountable," Rambosk said. "Animals depend on us for their care and protection, and we will not tolerate those who intentionally harm them."
