Complaint: 23 reptiles found dead in Wisconsin home
By Amy Fleury & James Stratton
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PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wisconsin (WISN) — The Pleasant Prairie Police Department arrested a 42-year-old man on multiple felony charges, including possession of child pornography and animal mistreatment, after a search of his home uncovered illicit digital files and dozens of deceased reptiles.
Joseph W. Losch faces 10 counts of possessing child pornography, 23 counts of mistreatment of animals resulting in death, two misdemeanor animal neglect charges and one count of marijuana possession.
The investigation began in late September 2026 when police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. According to a criminal complaint, Google LLC reported the user of two email accounts associated with Losch had uploaded thousands of illicit images and videos between 2022 and 2024.
A criminal complaint states Investigators traced the IP addresses to Losch’s residence at 12504 39th Ave. During a traffic stop in the 12400 block of 47th Ave. in late October, authorities detained Losch and seized his cellphone.
During an interview with police, Losch admitted to using the dark web to download the material, the complaint states. Court documents state he used a note-taking application to store links to illicit websites.
A search of a photo storage application on his phone revealed a “Download” folder containing more than 800 items, according to the complaint. Investigators reviewed several videos depicting the sexual assault of prepubescent children, the complaint states.
When authorities executed a search warrant at Losch’s home, they encountered nearly two dozen dead animals in cages, the complaint states. A reptile rescue specialist assisted officers in safely removing a live, but extremely malnourished, venomous snake from an enclosure that lacked food and water, the complaint states.
Throughout the house, investigators found 23 deceased reptiles in extremely dry enclosures with overturned feeding containers, according to the complaint. Prosecutors say the specialist estimated the animals had been dead for anywhere from three months to a year.
Officers also found a live cat living in unsanitary conditions, with a litter box overflowing with feces and the surrounding floor saturated with urine.
Additionally, authorities confiscated nearly 175 grams of marijuana stored in jars inside the home. Losch told police he purchased the drugs at an Illinois dispensary.
Losch is awaiting further court proceedings in Kenosha County. If convicted on all felony counts, he faces decades in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
Records show Losch paid a $100,000 bail ahead of his initial appearance in Kenosha County Wednesday. He did not answer the door for WISN 12 News Wednesday, and a lawyer is not yet listed in his criminal case.
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