2 face animal cruelty charges in Wash. pet deaths

GRANITE FALLS, Wash. (AP) -- Bail has been set at $100,000 for a woman and her son accused of starving 29 cats and two dogs found dead in their foreclosed home in Washington state.

A locksmith sent by a mortgage company discovered the bodies Friday at the Granite Falls home. Three animals were found alive.

The Herald newspaper in Everett reports that 65-year-old Diane Cowling and her 36-year-old son Michael are being held for investigation of animal cruelty. Their bail was set Tuesday.

Michael Cowling told investigators the family moved out in early December but that he returned several times to feed the animals. Police said the date of his last visit wasn't clear.

Photos taken by a group that helped remove the animals show the home's floors were covered in feces several inches deep.

Animal cruelty charges are punishable up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.