More animal carcasses found in Deer Park pet rescue
Police find piles of excrement, dog skeletons; owner charged with 32 counts of animal cruelty this week
By Ruth Fuller, Special to the Tribune
6:29 PM CST, December 30, 2010
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Donning gas masks and protective jumpsuits, Lake County and Kildeer officials took on the grim task Thursday of removing the bodies of animals that perished inside a Deer Park pet rescue operation — and discovered more remains in the process.
One by one, officials retrieved carcasses of 18 dogs, three birds and an opossum from the dilapidated home that was also the base for the Muddy Paws Dog Rescue.
Its operator, Diane Eldrup, was arrested on Dec. 16 on four counts of animal cruelty and animal torture, but 28 more counts were added this week as authorities revealed more about the gruesome scene they found there — including dogs left to starve to death in cages, mounds of excrement, and a refrigerator still filled with food but covered with maggots.
Among the remains removed from the home on the 20400 block of North Rand Road — adjacent to a busy shopping area — were those of a rat terrier that had apparently been consumed by other dogs and cats to fend off starvation, Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Michael Mermel said. The carcass of another dog had virtually nothing but its spine remaining, he said.
Yet another small brown mutt ended up strangling itself when it tried to escape its cage. "Hopefully, he died quickly," Mermel said.
At the time of her arrest, Eldrup, 48, was believed to have been living at the Deer Park pet rescue with her 8-year-old son. Though she later indicated in court that she'd been staying in Wauconda, a child's toys, clothing and furniture — including a small bed with a stuffed Mickey Mouse toy atop it — were found in the home.
"This little bed was afloat in a sea of urine, blood, feces and maggots," Mermel said.
Eldrup's estranged husband, Kurt Eldrup, was granted temporary custody of the boy after her arrest, Kurt Eldrup's attorney, John Joanem, said.
Kurt Eldrup has said that the couple had run a kennel and grooming business from the home for many years, but that more recently the operation has made a transition into a what was meant to be a "no-kill" pet rescue. It's unclear when or why the property descended into its squalid condition, though Kurt Eldrup said his wife became overwhelmed by financial, health and marriage woes.
Kildeer police, who have jurisdiction over Deer Park, had not received any complaints about the rescue operation before being called to the home by Kurt Eldrup in mid-December, said Cmdr. Mike Bratko. Police had been to the home for a domestic dispute about two years ago, but there were no other signs of trouble at that time and the home was not in disarray, he said.
Diane Eldrup was released from jail after John Breseman of Algonquin put up her $25,000 bail, $8,000 of which was paid in cash, according to court records. Mermel has requested that the source of that money be investigated since Breseman had filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy just three days before, according to court records and Mermel. Breseman could not be reached for comment.
Eldrup's attorney also withdrew from the case this week.
Among the officials at the site Thursday was Waukegan police Sgt. Charlie Burleson, who came on her day off to volunteer to help. Burleson said she has worked many animal crimes and felt the need to help on what she called one of the worst cases she's encountered.
"This is a horrible case of animal torture," she said. "When you see their skeletons, you know they went for so long with no food. It is horrific."
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