HOLLADAY, Utah, Jan. 27, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A Holladay mother is facing multiple charges after allegedly killing the family’s pet cat in front of her two children.
Ariane Christine Borg, 38, is facing charges of second-degree felony child abuse, third-degree felony torture of a companion animal, and two counts of class A misdemeanor child abuse, according to a probable cause statement from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake City.
A $100,000 warrant was issued for Borg’s arrest. She was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on that warrant on Saturday.
The statement said that on or about Sept. 25, Unified Police Department officers were called out to a residence in Holladay, where Borg and her two children, who are 10 and 17, live.
“Both children were found crying hysterically and described the events of the evening to a responding officer. Both children reported that their mom, Ariane Christine Borg, was ‘going crazy.'”
The two children told the officer that Borg “beat their cat over and over again and snapped its neck.”
The officer arranged for the children to be transported away from the home and then went through the home.
“The officer observed a dead cat in the yard of the home and found Borg covered in blood,” the statement said. “The home was in disarray with broken items scattered about and blood throughout the apartment.”
Borg also had what police later found were multiple self-inflicted stab wounds on her abdomen and wrists.
On Nov. 29, the younger child was interviewed at the Children’s Justice Center. That child told the officer that Borg “goes crazy” nearly every night and was “going insane” on the evening of Sept. 25. The child heard the family cat meowing and saw Borg “hold the cat by the legs and pound it repeatedly on a table.” The child tried to save the cat and Borg bit the child on the arm, resulting in a large bruise, the statement said. The child also saw the mother snap the cat’s neck, officials said.
A therapist has been working with the children since that date and one of the children has been diagnosed with acute stress disorder. The statement said that child “has suffered multiple types of abuse/trauma at the hands of [the] mother” for the events of that night.
Steve Burton, Borg’s defense attorney, sent the following statement to Gephardt Daily:
“Ariane has spent most of her life battling with depression. Her friends and family know her as a loving mother who is kind to all those around her. Last July, her doctor adjusted her medications and her mental health began spiraling downward. In September, the week before she was arrested, the police were called multiple times to assist with her mental health crisis but no meaningful help was provided. Because of the changes in medication and a lack of mental health treatment, Ariane suffered a critical manic episode. She believed that she and her family were being attacked and she injured herself and a beloved family pet while suffering from those delusions.
“Luckily, she did not end her own life, but spent several days in the hospital and multiple weeks being treated for her injuries and illness. Doctors were able to correct her diagnosis and treatment, and since being released in mid-October, she has returned to being the good, kind person that she was before.
“It has been devastating for Ariane to see that after four months of stability, hard work, and dedication to treatment and self-improvement, she was criminally charged, without notice, was forcibly arrested late at night by a team of U.S. Marshals, was taken to jail without her medications and with very little clothing, and was kept in a holding cell without proper medical care or the ability to contact her doctors or lawyer.
“It is disappointing to see that after all we have learned about mental illness, our system still re-victimizes those who are struggling and increases the risk that they will suffer further setbacks. We hope that those who see this story will urge law enforcement, prosecutors, the media, and the Legislature to improve the way we treat mental illness so we can help those who are sick before they reach a point of crisis and tragedy.”
Borg’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
