BUNNELL, Fla. – A 21-year-old Palm Coast woman has been arrested after police discovered two deceased Labrador retrievers inside a storage unit where investigators say the animals were kept without adequate food, water, ventilation or protection from the heat.
According to the Bunnell Police Department, officers responded at approximately 9:44 a.m. Sunday, July 19, to a storage facility in the 500 block of East Court Street after a tenant reported a strong foul odor coming from one of the units.
The tenant told officers dogs could normally be heard inside the unit but that no barking or other sounds were heard that morning. Officers observed ants beneath the roll-up door and flies entering and exiting a nearby vent.
With assistance from the facility owner, officers contacted the renter, identified as 21-year-old Alexia Veronica Barquet of Palm Coast. Barquet arrived at the facility, unlocked the storage unit and gave officers permission to enter, police said.
Inside, officers found the floor covered with dog feces, trash and debris. Investigators reported a portable cooling unit was running but was not producing cool air, and the temperature inside the unit felt no cooler than the outside conditions. The heat index at the time was about 96 degrees, according to police. Officers also found the dogs’ water bowls empty.
Police discovered two deceased female black Labrador retrievers identified as Ava, 5, and Karma, 2. Karma was found lying near the door, while Ava’s remains had been placed inside a black plastic bag.
According to investigators, Barquet told officers she found Ava dead earlier in the week, placed the dog’s body in the bag and left it inside the storage unit. She also told officers she last checked on Karma on Friday, July 17, when she provided food and water.
Flagler Animal Services responded to assist with the investigation. Authorities said an animal control officer had previously contacted Barquet on March 19, 2026, and warned her not to keep animals overnight inside the storage unit.
Barquet was arrested and booked into the Flagler County Inmate Facility on two felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty involving excessive pain or death and two misdemeanor counts of confining or abandoning animals without adequate food, water, exercise or air.
Her bond was set at $6,000.
Bunnell Police Chief David Brannon called the case “a disgusting case of animal cruelty,” saying the department has zero tolerance for the abuse, neglect or abandonment of animals and will pursue accountability when violations of the law result in an animal’s suffering or death.