A Texas veterinarian who boasted about killing a cat with an arrow and posted a disturbing photo on Facebook will not be charged.
A grand jury on Wednesday decided not to indict Dr. Kristen Lindsey, according to the Austin County District Attorney’s office. The investigation apparently failed to uncover information implicating her in the cat killing.
Lindsey allegedly shot an arrow into the back of an orange tabby’s head and posted a photo in April of herself smiling, as she dangled its limp body by the arrow’s shaft.
She added a comment, “My first bow kill, lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it’s head! Vet of the year award … Gladly accepted.”
The photo caused outrage among animal rights activists and Lindsey was fired from her position at a clinic in Brenham, Texas.
The Facebook post and picture have since been deleted. CNN reached out to Lindsey for comment at the time but was unable to make contact.
In a news release obtained by the Houston Chronicle, the District Attorney said, “Without more information, the State lacks proof that this incident even occurred in the state of Texas.” It said that cat hunting was legal, for example, in Wyoming.
Investigators also could not prove cruelty, since a “bolt to the head” is officially recognized as a humane form of animal euthanasia, the Chronicle reported.