Illinois Pet Cemetery Owner Commits Suicide Amidst Investigation

PEKIN, IL — The owner of an Illinois pet cemetery facing allegations that it illegally disposed of pets has died in an apparent suicide. Joe Abts, owner of Katy’s Pet Cemetery and Crematory in Pekin,was recently interviewed by the Tazewell County Sheriff's Department, according to the Pekin Daily Times. He reportedly died Wednesday.

The pet cemetery is owned by the Abts family and was founded in 1984, according to the company's website. The service offered pet cremation and burial, as well as online obituaries for deceased pets. Katy's also reportedly offered a service to area veterinarians for disposal of pet remains.

The Pekin Times reported that the investigation is on hold as Abts' family grieves, but a report from the Morton Times says it's closed, since the only suspect — Joe Abts — is dead.

The sheriff's department received a complaint earlier this month alleging that deceased pets were not being cremated even though their owners had paid for the service, according to the Morton Times. Tazewell County investigators said the remains of three pets were found in a non-working freezer on the property, and some pet owners had concerns that they may have received ashes that may not have belonged to their pets.

This week, Chief Deputy Jeff Lower told the Morton Times that officials want to assure residents that there were no allegations regarding the cremation of human remains. "At no time was any question raised about human cremation or the operation of the mortuary,” he said.

Read more via Morton Times

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