Cranston Trainer Pleads Guilty In Ex-Patriot’s Dog’s Death

CRANSTON, RI - A Cranston dog trainer pleaded guilty to obstructing justice this week after the beloved dog belonging to a former New England Patriots died in her care. Amelia Ferreira, 42, was sentenced Tuesday in Massachusetts to 18 months of probation.

In June 2018, Ferreira was caring for Knox, an English bulldog, that belonged to ex-NFL player Jerod Mayo when he mysteriously died in her care. However, instead of telling Mayo of the death, she hid his remains and reported Knox missing, according to WJAR-TV.

"All we want is honest answers. We deserve that much. Please continue to send prayers, repost and spread the word," Mayo posted on Instagram at the time of Knox's disappearance.

Ultimately, Mayo and his family got answers but not the kind that they were hoping for. Cranston police said they found Knox’s body in a trash bag at a home where Ferreira lived. The dog was 5-years-old.

“Ms. Ferreira has been in possession of this deceased dog for about six weeks. It’s absolutely disgusting,” Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Director of Operations Joe Warzycha told the TV station at the time.

According to The Sun Chronicle, Ferreira initially told police that Knox went missing on June 28 during an outing with another dog near Joe’s Rock Conservation Area off West Street in Wrentham, MA. She eventually admitted she lied.

"It’s disgusting and inhumane that a company full of 'dog lovers' would hide a family pet in a closet for two months and compulsively lie and send us on a wild goose hunt and our kids on an emotional rollercoaster," Mayo posted to social media after learning of his dog's demise.

In a statement she released to the newspaper after being charged, Ferreira admitted to being a “coward for not being honest." She claims that she discovered Knox dead in an air-conditioned crate she'd left him in after returning home from training another dog.

Medical tests failed to determine the dog's precise cause of death but noted that Knox did not appear to have suffered from any physical trauma, according to court records. Ferreira was never charged with causing Knox's death.