Woman Accused Of Leaving Dog To Die Found Dead In Forked River Home

The body of a woman indicted on animal cruelty charges last year was found in a Forked River home last week.

The death of Megan Otte, 22 is being investigated by Lacey police, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office and the Ocean County Sheriff's Department's Criminalistics Investigation Unit, Lacey Police Chief David A. Paprota said.

Police were called to the home at 325 Yorktown Drive at 12:57 p.m. on April 12 on a report of an unresponsive female, he said.

Megan Otte, 22 was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death determination is pending results of toxicology tests, Paprota said.

Otte was indicted on a count of third-degree animal cruelty by an Ocean County grand jury last year, in the death of Ruger, the mixed breed dog found dead in a dog crate in an empty house in June 2012.

Otte by Lacey police after Ruger's body was discovered in the crate by police investigating a suspicious odor at a Pensacola Road address.

An investigation by Officer Paul Sullivan and Officer Paul Schlossbach of the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals found that Otte moved from the Pensacola Road home and left Ruger, a mixed breed, alive in his cage. Sometime after she moved, Ruger died, police said.

Otte posted bail — $7,500 with no 10 percent option — through a bondsman on July 23, 2012.

Come back to Patch soon for more information on this developing story.