A dog starved to death after being found inside a Noblesville home covered in feces and urine, while the remains of a second dog were found in a trash bag on the property. A mother and son now face felony animal cruelty charges in connection with the deaths. Authorities say a third dog, found severely emaciated, was pulled from the property and survived after being rushed to an animal hospital.
Chrissy Tharp and Xavier Tharp were each charged with three counts of felony animal cruelty, according to Fox 59. Chrissy Tharp also faces an additional obstruction of justice charge, per the same report. Official charges were filed Tuesday in Hamilton Superior Court 6 against defendants identified in court filings as Christina Tharp and Xavier Tharp, though earlier reporting on the case referred to the mother as Chrissy Tharp — a discrepancy that remains unresolved in available records.
The case traces back to a local dog rescue group, which had reportedly reached out to Chrissy Tharp to ask about Pepper's adoption; Xavier reportedly replied that Pepper needed to be rescued again because his mother was low on funds and unable to feed her, the station's report states. When rescue workers returned to the Tharp property, they noticed two more neglected dogs at the house, prompting them to contact authorities on August 26.
Warrant Reveals Feces-Covered Cages and Contaminated Bowls
Sheriff's deputies were granted a search warrant the following day, August 27. Inside, investigators reportedly found several dog cages covered in feces and urine at the home in the 22000 block of Craig Avenue, with food and water bowls contaminated by dirt, feces and urine, per the same account.
Pepper was diagnosed with severe emaciation and taken to an animal hospital, where she was treated and survived. A second dog, Hopper, was found inside the home in a severely emaciated condition and was also taken to an animal hospital, but died about a month later from what investigators described as an advanced state of starvation.
A third dog, Diesel, identified as a pit bull, was found inside a trash bag on the property. Investigators say Diesel died from starvation, internal health issues and a marked flea infestation.
Charges Filed After Weeks-Long Investigation
The investigation stretched from late August into October before prosecutors filed charges this week. Arrest warrants for Christina Tharp and Xavier Tharp were expected to be issued during the week of October 5, though it was not independently confirmed whether those warrants had been executed by the time charges were filed.
Indiana law separately addresses animal cruelty carried out to threaten or intimidate a family or household member, with the Indiana General Assembly's code describing the abuse, torture, mutilation or killing of a vertebrate animal without justification under that intent. Case details, including bond information and scheduled court appearances, were not available in court records reviewed through Indiana's MyCase public access system, which restricts certain electronic court information under federal and state law.
