Utah mother beat cat in front of her children then 'snapped its neck,' cops say
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ariane Borg allegedly snapped her cat's neck in front of her children, police say. (Salt Lake County Jail)
A Utah mother, who reportedly suffers from depression, was arrested Saturday, four months after cops say she beat a cat and snapped its neck in front of her children.
On Sept. 25, Unified police arrived at Ariane Christine Borg’s home and discovered her 17-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter “crying hysterically,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing court documents. The children allegedly told officers Borg “beat their cat over and over again and snapped its neck.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Borg's daughter told authorities in a November interview that her mom held "the cat by the legs and pounded it repeatedly on the table” before snapping the cat’s neck, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. When the girl tried to intervene, Borg, 36, reportedly hit her on the arm.
The dead cat was found in the backyard and Borg was found covered in blood from “multiple self-inflicted stab wounds on her abdomen and wrists,” the newspaper reported.
Borg, according to attorney Steven Burton, has spent most of her life battling depression, and her health deteriorated after her medications were adjusted in July. Burton said police went to Borg’s home a week before the incident because she sought help with her mental health, but “no meaningful help was provided.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Burton said his client has been responding positively to treatments since October. He called her arrest “devastating,” according to the Desert News.
“It is disappointing to see that after all we have learned about mental illness, our system still re-victimizes those who are struggling, and increases the risk that they will suffer further setbacks," he said. "We hope that those who see this story will urge law enforcement, prosecutors, the media and the Legislature to improve the way we treat mental illness so we can help those who are sick before they reach a point of crisis and tragedy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Borg was charged with felony child abuse, two misdemeanor counts of child abuse and third-degree torture of a companion animal, according to the Desert News.