MATTHEW MICHAEL SPANBURGH arrested for drowning his dog

- Pennsylvania, USA -

On the late evening of Friday, May 16, 2025, officers with the Warminster Township Police Department were dispatched to an apartment in the 600 block of East Street Road to conduct a wellbeing check on 28-year-old MATTHEW MICHAEL SPANBURGH (pictured).

The caller, SPANBURGH’s mother, Susan Biavasch, reported that her son was having marital problems and may have killed his dog and possibly himself.

Responding officers made contact with SPANBURGH who confirmed that he had drowned his dog in the bathtub. A press release by the Warminster Township Police Department described the furvictim as a black and tan colored Belgian Shepard.

When SPANBURGH led officers to the bedroom, they discovered the deceased dog.

According to the criminal complaint, the furvictim was laying on his/her side on a white blanket with his/her paws flat out on the floor and had had no pulse. Officers observed blood around the mouth/nose area.

The complaint goes on to state that SPANBURGH told officers he and his wife have a 3-month-old child and that the dog had “previously knocked the child over.” SPANBURGH said his wife was concerned the dog would hurt the child so she took the child and left the husband a few days ago. SPANBURGH told police he did not know what else to do.

After obtaining and executing a search warrant, the lifeless body of the furvictim was removed and police were assisted by Warminster Animal Control Officer and Bucks County SPCA in the investigation.

Once the investigation was completed, a warrant was obtained for SPANBURGH’s arrest. SPANBURGH has been charged with two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals.

He was arraigned before District Justice Christopher O'Neill, and was sent to Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $300,000.00 for the animal charges and an additional 10 percent of $30,000 on charges stemming from an unrelated incident.

The complaint did not mention the dog’s name, age, and sex, so I emailed Warminster Township Police Chief James Donnelly III to acquire that information. Chief Donnelly responded that if he finds out, he’ll let me know. I have also requested pictures of the furvictim, but at this stage they are considered evidence and cannot be released.

At the time of writing, records show that the murderer is still in custody and a preliminary hearing is scheduled to take place on August 4, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.

I took the liberty of naming the Voiceless Victim Comet for the tribute image. Should his/her given name be made public, I will rectify it accordingly.

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Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from the press release by the Warminster Township Police Department. Please note that details may be removed or new information added should updates become available.

In the case of charges being dropped, dismissed, or the case being purged, this article will be rectified accordingly, if official documentation is provided to Voice For Us.

SPANBURG’s mugshot shared from the Warminster Township Police Department

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