Animal Sexual Abuse Information & Resources

WARNING!  This site contains graphic images and content

M Jenny Edwards

SME, Animal Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Current Research, Laws, & Case Updates

February, 2018

Increased attention is being paid to the incidence of animal sexual abuse throughout the world. Here are highlights of some incidents reported this month.


BESTIALITY, CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

Alabama, USA - 18-year-old Daniel Bennett was caught trespassing in a barn, wearing a trench coat with burglar's tools in the pocket. He admitted he was trying to molest a 20-year-old mare named Polly. Polly's guardian said she had previously found toilet paper and other incriminating evidence, and thought Polly may have been molested at least ten times in the last month. Bennett was charged with misdemeanor sexual misconduct, second-degree criminal trespassing, and possession of burglar's tools.

California, USA - "Little Women: LA" star Briana has filed for divorce from her husband Matt Grundhofer, accusing him of bestiality, abuse, and death threats.

Illinois, USA - Defendants William Ashby and Aaron Beauchamp have accepted plea deals. In 2016 both men were charged with bestiality, aggravated sexual assault of a minor while incapacitated, and child pornography. Beauchamp was charged with domestic violence in a separate case, and Ashby was additionally charged with witness tampering. Sentencing is scheduled for June.

Indiana, USA - Keylin Johnson, 52 and his wife Sheila, 44 were arrested in February, 2018 on charges of incest, bestiality, and other criminal acts. Sheila's children - a now 19-year-old man and his 17 year-old sister told officers that the abuse started shortly after Keylin Johnson moved into their home about 6 years ago. They came forward out of concern for their 13-year-old sister who is still living at home. Keylin told the kids that incest was "normal" and that it was the "best way to build family bond was to have sex with your parents, particularly your mother". Videos of the couple sexually abusing their three children, as well as videos of Sheila having sex with the family dog have been found. Research indicates that the number of female offenders has been steadily rising since 2007, and 63% of women who engage in bestiality do so with their human partner (Edwards, 2018).

Ohio, USA - In 2017 Scott Turner, then 47 had already spent 12 years in prison for three sex crimes involving 5 boys aged 6-12 whom he was babysitting. After he was convicted, Turner admitted to also having sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl at least 10 times, and had performed oral on a 9-year-old boy while they watched porn videos.

About two years after being released, in September 2017 while dog-sitting for a friend, Turner decided that performing oral sex on the female Boxer-mix was a good idea. The dog's owner noticed Athena was not acting normally, constantly licking herself and shying away from strangers, but nothing came of it until prison authorities found about 58 pages of letters to Turner's romantic prison buddy, mostly involving what sexual fantasies they might act out when his partner was released. Turner wrote that he didn't want to share his partner with another man, but would "share you with a four-legged friend though," and told him how much he had enjoyed sex acts with a Boxer-mix. Turner told his partner they could have a teenaged boy film their encounter with the dog, and suggested they could carry out the plan as soon as the partner was released and could get together the money and find the right dog.

In March, 2018 Turner became the first person convicted under Ohio's newly passed law prohibiting sex with animals (passed in March, 2017). He was sentenced to 5 years' probation on second-degree misdemeanor charges of bestiality. Turner plans to appeal the conviction.

Oregon, USA

•  Terry Mackie, 57 admitted to federal agents he engages in bestiality after they were tipped off that he was downloading child porn. A cooperating witness who contacted Homeland Security told the agents that "Terry likes to wear diapers, enjoys having sex with animals, and [goes by] the username DiaperPerv online". It's not uncommon for people with zoophlia (a sexual attraction to animals) to also have other paraphilia or fetishes. Dr. Gene Abel, a reknowned psychiatrist and father of the Abel Assessment tool for measuring deviant sexual interest, found that people with one paraphilia may have as many as 10 others. Men who are attracted to animals often also test positive for pedophilia, A diaper fetish is sort of reverse pedophilia, where the user wants to be treated as an infant.  (Abel, 1988)

•  Mark Richard McKuhn

Pennsylvania, USA

•  Jeremy Paul Shaner, 24 had been hanging out with his neighbor, was asked to leave. Shortly afterward, the homeowner heard her 5-year-old Boxer yelping in the bathroom. She opened the door to find Shaner naked and holding the dog. Shaner has been charged with misdemeanor sexual assault.  

•  Pittsburgh attorney Ivan Stewart DeVoren, 61 was arrested after neighbors said they heard him sexually abusing his 6 month-old yello Lab at least 10 times. During the search warrant, officers removed the dog, Snoopy, as well as crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia. DeVoren worked in solo practice as an environmental attorney and volunteered at a local animal shelter as a dog walker.

South Carolina, USA - March, 2018:  Justin Teeter Bensing, 36 was arrested in a roundup of 14 child predators, two human traffickers, 10 prostitutes and 17 johns. Bensing stood out because he wanted to have sex with an animal and cannibalize a child after turning her into a “full time baby maker and sex slave”. Bensing has been charged with 2 counts of criminal solicitation of a minor. His bail was set at $20,000, which was posted by a bail bondsman just a few days after the arest.


EXPLOITATION, PORNOGRAPHY, TRAFFICKING

A Pennsylvania man has been acquitted of raping an 8-year-old boy while wearing a furry costume. The minor, who is now a teen, told investigators that Kenneth Fenske, 59 was one of several men who sexually abused him as a child when he ws taken to a series of "furry parties". Fenske, whose fursona is LupineFox, has been involved in the furry lifestyle since 2005, and has held regular group get-togethers at his home in Quakertown, Pennsylva.  

While serving with the Army in Germany, Aaron Drake Buckner, 25 chatted up two young girls - one 12 and the other 15 - and asked them to take sexually explicit pictures and videos for him. Buckner had a previous conviction for child pornography. When he returned to the U.S., he was supposed to register as a sex offender. When that didn't happen, a search warrant of his home returned images of child porn depicting infants, toddlers, bondage and bestiality.

New Zealander Michael Francis Goodwin, 43 sent nude selfies to a teenaged girl and encouraged her to return the favor. Prior to the abuse, Goodwin searched for and downloaded images and stories about bestiality and incest.


LAWS, ADJUDICATION

The U.S. Congress pass the


In the U.S., Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill to keep track of animal abusers. A similar bill in New Jersey was approved unanimously, and Virginia is putting off further discussion on creating an animal abuser registy at this time.  Washington is going to let a bill die in committee that would have closed loopholes in current law related to oral sex and coercing another person to commit a sex act with an animal, while Wisconsin legislators are working hard to make animal sexual abuse a felony.



"Snoopy" - 6 month-old yellow Lab sexually abused by his adopted dad.

Baby players may be attracted to gentle and nurturing treatment, but sometimes want to be spanked. Infantilism may also be connected to urine or feces fetishes.

PREVIOIUS