Owner of pet crematorium pleads guilty after giving sand instead of pets’ ashes
By JT Moodee Lockman, Caroline Foreback
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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The owner of a Baltimore County pet crematorium pleaded guilty Tuesday to several charges after giving some pet owners sand or “building materials” instead of their pets’ ashes.
Rodney Ward and his wife, Yalanda, were both charged in connection with the scam at Loving Care Pet Funeral and Cremation Services in Catonsville.
On Tuesday, Rodney Ward pleaded guilty to theft and malicious destruction of property.
Ward could face up to 25 years in prison. He will remain in jail while awaiting sentencing on March 31, when victims will be able to read impact statements.
Yalanda Ward’s trial was postponed until May 6, 2026, according to court records.
According to court documents, the Wards’ unlicensed business collected nearly $13,000 from victims. There were at least 51 victims, according to the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“Every single one of them has remains or a box that they thought were their pets’ remains,” said Adam Lippe with the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office. “It turned out to be non-animal. It turned out to be what I indicated in court, which was sand, gravel, baking soda, fertilizer.”
In April, investigators found the remains of 38 different animals in the back of a hearse in West Baltimore.
Several victims, including Juanita Logan, told WJZ last year that they used the business to have their pets cremated, and received a box within 24 hours that contained ashes, a cremation ID, and a picture of their pet. The material was later determined not to be ashes.
“They were not ashes. It looked like sand, concrete with wires inside of it,” Joy Schoonover told WJZ.
Following the discovery of the scam, Charm City Pet Crematory offered free services to the victims. The company worked with the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) and animal control to identify and cremate the recovered pets.
Forensic anthropologist Dr. Rhys Williams tested the material Ward gave victims, claiming it was their pets’ ashes. Williams said the samples did not contain animal remains.
“We did not find animal remains,” Williams said. “There were one or two with human elements mixed in.”
Williams said the human elements included teeth and dental implants. He added that most of the material was “building materials,” including concrete powder.
Adam Lippe, with the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, called the scheme especially cruel.
“There’s a certain wickedness to what the defendant did, meanness to take advantage of people at their lowest moment when a loved one has died,” Lippe said.
Dozens of devastated pet owners filled the Baltimore County courtroom as the Ward pleaded guilty.
The victims said they are still left with questions that may never be answered.
Sharon Thomas, and her daughter, Kia Hutchinson, said they thought they could trust Ward with the remains of their 17-year-old service dog, Blackie Dior.
“He quoted scripture, he did all of this to make me feel comfortable,” Thomas said. “I would never think that he would be so demonic,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the experience has permanently changed her.
“I’m never going to be the same,” Thomas said. “I could never believe that someone could do this, it’s a family member.”
One of the victims, Beverly Rassen, said her grief over her dog Rusty is now mixed with guilt.
“I feel guilty because I gave Rodney my baby,” Rassen said. “I trusted him to bring back my baby but he threw him on the side of the road just like he was trash and he wasn’t. He was a family member.”
Officials say many remains of pets are still unaccounted for.
“We are a part of those who will never know where he is,” Hutchinson said.
Nikki Pickens, another victim, said she still wants answers.
“Why did you leave them on the side of the road, why did you pack them in that hearse, and for the rest of us, where are our pets?” Pickens said.
Some victims are also expected to testify before the Maryland House of Delegates on Thursday in support of a bill that would establish consumer protection requirements for pet cremation and burial services.
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