Deputies digging three feet into the ground at a Hobe Sound mobile home park unearthed kittens tied inside Publix shopping bags after children living in the home called 911 to report their pets missing. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek says the woman accused of burying the animals, 37-year-old Alba Chavez, told investigators she buried the cats alive because she believed brown and black cats were “demons.”
Children's 911 Call Cracked the Case Open
According to the sheriff, reported by ABC7 Chicago, Chavez was arrested after the cats were found buried alive in her yard at the home in the 11000 block of Southeast Federal Highway. Local station WPBF reported that the youths living in the home had previously locked the kittens in a bedroom to try to protect them, and called 911 after noticing the animals were missing. That report, cited by a local Facebook news account, said deputies ultimately dug three feet underground to locate the crying kittens, still tied inside Publix plastic shopping bags.
Of the five kittens buried, deputies recovered two alive and two dead, while a fifth remained missing as excavation continued across the property, according to the same account of the investigation shared on Instagram. Investigators also found at least eight additional cats inside the mobile home itself. It remains unresolved whether deputies will locate the fifth missing kitten as the excavation continues.
Surviving Kittens Headed for Long-Term Care
The surviving kittens were taken to an emergency animal hospital, with plans for long-term care through the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast in Palm City once they are cleared by veterinarians, per the WPBF account. The shelter is the county’s designated holding facility for animals impounded by county animal control.
Chavez was booked into the Martin County Jail on a $100,000 bond after her arrest on four felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty, according to a report from Mix 100.7. Sheriff Budensiek stated that Chavez is a Venezuelan national unlawfully in the United States, and a federal immigration detainer was placed on her alongside the state criminal proceedings.
What Florida Law Says About the Charges
Under Florida Statute § 828.12(2), aggravated animal cruelty is a third-degree felony. Chavez faces four felony counts.
If convicted, Chavez would also be added to Florida's new statewide animal abuser registry under “Dexter's Law,” which took full effect on January 1, 2026. Hoodline has also reported on other Martin County animal cases.
A Pattern of High-Profile Cruelty Cases Locally
The Hobe Sound park sits along the 11000 block of Southeast Federal Highway. The Martin County Sheriff's Office Animal Services Unit enforces state cruelty statutes and local ordinances across more than 30,000 registered pets in unincorporated Martin County and surrounding municipalities.
The unit has handled a string of high-profile cases in recent years, including a Stuart home seizure of 108 pets. Hoodline previously covered a related case involving a postal worker accused of hoarding animals. Those earlier cases illustrate the ongoing local focus on animal cruelty enforcement that frames the Chavez investigation, with investigators continuing to excavate portions of the Hobe Sound property as the case develops.
