Investigators said surveillance video and doorbell audio helped build the felony animal cruelty case.
ATLANTA, GA — A Buckhead dog sitter was arrested after police said he beat a Chihuahua to death inside his apartment, put the dog in a trash bag and dumped the body behind his complex.
Fulton County police arrested 30-year-old Jamarcus Morrison and charged him with felony aggravated cruelty to animals. The case centers on a tan and white female Chihuahua found June 25 in a dumpster area at The Lofts at Twenty25 on Peachtree Road. Investigators said the dog had severe injuries, and animal services officers later found three other dogs inside Morrison’s apartment when they served the arrest warrant.
The investigation began after a witness reported seeing someone throw a dead dog into a dumpster behind the apartment complex. Animal Services officers responded and found the Chihuahua inside a black trash bag near a black wire dog crate. Animal Services Commander Major Nikki Dwyer said officers found the dog had suffered severe blunt force injuries and had a broken back. “We went to the dumpster and were able to locate the deceased canine,” Dwyer said, adding that the injuries were clear when officers recovered the body.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by local investigators, police allege Morrison knowingly and maliciously caused the dog’s death by beating the animal inside his apartment. Investigators said surveillance video from the complex showed Morrison carrying a black trash bag to the dumpster and returning minutes later to throw away the dog’s crate and toys. Police also reviewed Ring doorbell audio from a neighbor across the hall. Investigators said that recording captured a dog yelping, loud banging and then silence before Morrison left the apartment with a trash bag.
Dwyer said Morrison gave officers a different account after the dog was found. “He had told us that his dog had died from drinking dirty water from a dog park earlier in the week,” Dwyer said. Police said evidence gathered in the case contradicted that explanation. The dog’s official cause of death had not been released as of Friday evening. Authorities said the Chihuahua was sent for a necropsy, the animal examination used to determine how the dog died and whether the injuries match the evidence gathered by investigators.
Investigators said they also learned Morrison operated a dog-sitting and boarding business called Unleashed. When officers arrived to serve the arrest warrant at his apartment, they found three other dogs that belonged to separate owners. Dwyer said those dogs appeared to be OK when officers found them. Police did not release the names of the owners or say how long the dogs had been in Morrison’s care. It also was not immediately clear whether the Chihuahua belonged to Morrison, a client or another person.
The case moved from a witness report to a felony charge through a mix of physical evidence, video and audio records, police said. The location also became part of the investigation because the dog was found behind a residential building, not at a veterinary office or an animal shelter. Officers recovered the body, the bag, the crate and other items connected to the dog. Investigators have not said whether more charges could be filed after the necropsy or after interviews with the owners of the other dogs found in the apartment.
Morrison remained jailed Friday evening, and it was unclear whether he had hired an attorney. The aggravated cruelty charge is tied to the allegation that the dog was intentionally and maliciously killed. Police said the investigation remains open while officers wait for the necropsy findings and continue reviewing evidence. No court hearing date had been announced in the information released Friday. Authorities also had not released booking details beyond Morrison’s age, arrest and charge.
The case drew attention because Morrison was accused of caring for dogs as a business while police said a dog died violently inside his apartment. Dwyer said officers found the other three dogs from separate owners while carrying out the warrant and said they appeared unharmed. The discovery raised new questions for investigators about how many animals had been in Morrison’s care, who owned them and whether any other complaints had been made about the boarding business before the Chihuahua was found.
The Chihuahua’s necropsy remained pending Saturday. Police said the case is ongoing, with the next major step expected to be the official cause-of-death finding and any further decisions by investigators or prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated July 4, 2026.