CEDARBURG — An animal sanctuary in Cedarburg is at the center of allegations of animal mistreatment.
Autumn Farm Sanctuary is the focus of an Ozaukee County Sheriff's investigation and now the owners may be facing a criminal charge.
Within the past 36 hours, according to the Ozaukee County Undersheriff, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Autumn Farm Sanctuary and all animals located on the property were removed and re-homed to other locations. The animals included several pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys, and ducks.
Former volunteers were among the first to ring the alarm about the alleged mistreatment. "I know animals die. I'm not saying animals live forever," said Erin Hammock. "But there are so many young animals there, healthy animals there too, that have died."
Hammock and another former volunteer, Julie Gilmore, allege that animals have been living in filth, and neglected without adequate food or water. As a result, they claim, several died or had to be euthanized.
"I enjoyed going there. I loved going there. As the years went on, and the influx of volunteers kind of dwindled. I noticed that cleaning isn't getting done and things are really dirty," recalled Gilmore.
She joined other former volunteers to get the attention of the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office. According to Undersheriff Marshall Hermann, detectives made an unannounced visit to Autumn Farm Sanctuary in February, where they found evidence of negligence but it did not meet the level for the animals to be seized at that time. The concerns were discussed with the owners of the sanctuary and follow-up plans were put in place, including re-homing some larger animals.
Growing worry lead Hammock to create a public Facebook page, highlighting alleged mistreatment. "Animal concern is our main thing, as much as we want charges pressed on them for the awful things that they've done," she explained. Hammock added that the primary goal of posting online is for all the animals to be seized or surrendered.
Gilmore shared a photo, taken by another former volunteer, who arrived at the farm to discover a one-year-old goat, wrapped in a tarp. "We don't have answers as to how she died. We still don't have answers, but that's a tragedy that shouldn't have happened."
TMJ4 featured Autumn Farm Sanctuary in August of 2021 as an oasis for rescued animals. Less than three years later, new photos and videos appear to show a stark difference.
Gilmore and Hammock both believe the sanctuary was established with good intentions but said something has shifted, as they scrolled through photos of once-healthy animals. "These are um, one of the wounds on the sheep," said Gilmore as she pointed to a photo.
That sheep now lives at Another Chance Ranch an animal rescue in Dodge County. "Their skin condition was bad, they both had mange and they both had pneumonia," recalled Eden Abram, the owner of Another Chance Ranch.
She added that both sheep have been treated by a veterinarian and are recovering well.
The sheep are two of four animals that were recently surrendered. Re-homing was a directive given to Autumn Farm Sanctuary after the visit from Ozaukee County Sheriff's Detectives in February. They arrived with a veterinarian who authored a report listing a lack of fresh water, empty feed bins, wounded animals, and filthy living conditions.
According to the sheriff's department, follow-up was conducted and it was determined that sheep and cows had been relinquished, but not all of the animals. On March 1, 2024, after reviewing the totality of the investigation, Undersheriff Hermann confirmed a request for prosecution for one charge of mistreatment of animals was forwarded to the Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Gilmore says she was able to visit the farm in early April and was heartbroken to see no positive progress. "Any animal care that was supposed to be followed up with hasn't been done," said Gilmore.
By her count, more than a dozen animals were still living at Autumn Farm Sanctuary when she was there. "I have literally over 100 photos and pictures to show the filthy, filthy, weeks worth of feces that they're living in. Barely any bedding, if none. Filthy water or just dried water bowls, to literally no food."
The Ozaukee County District Attorney's Office confirms it is still considering filing a charge of animal mistreatment against the owners of the sanctuary. The assistant district attorney tells TMJ4 a decision will be made once additional information is received from law enforcement.
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