Woman arrested for investigation into animal cruelty after allegedly leaving dog to die in rented Yucca Valley home
A woman was arrested in Ontario after an allegedly leaving a dog to die in a bedroom in Yucca Valley.
Meliza Ortiz, 33, was arrested in Ontario, California earlier this month for an active warrant. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department says that Ortiz was a tenant at home in the 7400 block of Borrego Trail in Yucca Valley. They say she moved out sometime between December 2024 and January 2025. The Sheriff’s Department says that when the owner of the property arrived at the residence on February 22, they found a deceased French bulldog that had been deprived of food, water, and care. The Sheriff’s Department was unable to locate Ortiz and issued a warrant for her arrest.
Ortiz was contacted by the Ontario Sheriff’s Department in September and the US Marshall’s Service arranged for her transfer to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Meliza Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals and is being held at the West Valley Detention Center and is being held on $30,000 bail.
