Man facing animal cruelty charges in connection to 3 dead dogs found in abandoned van in Mattapan

A man is facing animal cruelty charges in connection to the death of three dogs found “bloated” inside an abandoned U-haul van in Boston Tuesday night.

William Cobb, 33, was arrested on Mediterranean Drive in Weymouth around 12:30 Friday, Boston police say.

Cobb was arrested on a warrant for three counts of animal cruelty for the three dogs found dead inside the moving van on Edgewater Drive in Mattapan.

Although Cobb did not show his face in court Friday, prosecutors outlined disturbing details, including that the man was allegedly breeding the animals for money.

Tuesday night, officers responded to a 911 call reporting a “terrible smell” emanating from a van that had been abandoned for weeks in the Mattapan neighborhood. Police found a trio of motionless, medium-sized dogs inside and a bag of dog food locked in the front passenger area, a Boston Police Department incident report stated.

An animal control officer called to the scene said the dogs were “bloated” in the sweltering van and noted temperatures in Boston had topped 90 degrees on Monday and Tuesday.

According to the police report, responding officers found the dead dogs inside a bag. The report also states that authorities responded to the same vehicle on July 2 and found six dogs inside the running van.

As officers worked at the scene, a neighborhood resident approached and said they had spotted at least two dogs inside the van “jumping around and barking” on July 4, but the animals “weren’t let out of the van.”

“Around dusk, when the fireworks were going off, they could hear the dogs barking,” officers wrote in the report.

Another man informed officers he spotted two males outside the van with “cleaning stuff” on the morning of July 8 and that a lady told him she saw the dogs “alive 2-3 days ago.”

A five-gallon water jug, three gallons of water, a gray tray, a bottle of bleach, and an Arizona tea can were spotted on the sidewalk near the front of the van, police noted in the report. Boston Public Works was called in to clean the area.

Police also reportedly found a text from Cobb referencing a dog of his named ‘Tank.”

“Tank is now fighting for his life because of the sun,” the text read.

Cobb hit behind a door of the Dorchester courtroom during his arrangement. Cobb pled “not guilty” and was ordered to have no custody of any animals or dogs. He is expected back in court in September.

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