Tulsa animal rescue cruelty case: Founder, coordinator face more than 100 felony charges

TULSA, Okla. — New details have emerged in the Mercy Sakes 2nd Chance Animal Rescue cruelty case, with updated charges filed against the rescue's founder and adoption coordinator.

Sasha Smith, the founder of the rescue, now faces 59 felony charges. Adoption coordinator Marcia Reynolds faces 44 felony charges.

WATCH: Second arrest made, 15 more animals found neglected in cruelty investigation

Each count reflects one charge per animal involved in the case.

According to the arrest affidavit for Reynolds, she was living full time at the rescue where Tulsa police officers found 19 dead animals. Court documents report Reynolds told officers the dogs died due to the heat of the summer.

Tulsa Humane Society has custody of the 35 surviving dogs pulled from both the rescue and Smith's home. Tulsa Animal Services has the three cats.

Local News

Woman facing cruelty charges after 19 animals found dead at Tulsa rescue

Stef Manchen

"We did lose one dog about 30 hours after arrival," said Gina Gardner, President of the Tulsa Humane Society. "The dog, known to the community, as Victor did pass away. He was starved, he was emaciated, he was in really bad shape as so many of them are."

Gardner said most of the other dogs are on the road to healing, making small strides each day. She thanked the community for rallying around the effort to care for the surviving animals.

"This is a long long process. All of these dogs are requiring extensive care so we are super grateful that everybody's stepped up and helped us given us the supplies that we need, and we're going to continue to update you and ask for more things as we go on," Gardner said.

As for how cases like this can be limited in the future, Tulsa Animal Services is discussing a change in city ordinance that would impose stricter regulations on rescues.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.