Woman, 26, Kills Boyfriend's 4 Puppies by Trapping Them in Cooler: Police

Kimberly Matthews of Linden, N.J. is being sought by police for alleged animal cruelty

A New Jersey woman is being sought by police after she allegedly suffocated four of her boyfriend's bulldog puppies inside a food cooler during an argument, police say. 

Officers were alerted to the alleged animal cruelty on Sunday by an acquaintance of the woman, 26-year-old Kimberly R. Matthews of Linden. The acquaintance told police that Matthews had given him a blue Igloo cooler with four 5-week-old American bulldog puppies lying motionless inside and that she told him "they were probably just sleeping."

When the acquaintance later went to touch the puppies, he saw they were cold and deceased.

The acquaintance told police that Matthews had an argument over the phone with her boyfriend, who breeds American bulldogs, and that she threatened to kill the puppies. 

Later she removed the puppies from their cage and put them into the cooler, the acquaintance told police. 

In an interview with police, Matthews denied responsibility for the puppies' deaths. She was nevertheless arrested on two contempt warrants, one out of Clark Township and other out of Middlesex County, then released on bail.

Police then attempted to execute an arrest warrant on four counts of animal cruelty, but she could not be located. She is currently being sought by police. 

Outraged neighbors urged Matthews to turn herself in.

"What are the puppies gonna do to you? Puppies didn't do anything. These things just come into the world," said Javier Cruz. 

--Marc Santia contributed to this report. 

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