Henderson police say social media videos of alleged animal abuse did not originate in US

UPDATE (Oct. 26) -- The city of Henderson updated Thursday that the videos shared on social media that appear to show “heinous animal abuse” did not originate in the United States.

As a result, the case has been closed as unfounded, the department said in a statement.

The full statement from Henderson police can be read below:

“Since approximately October 23, 2023, the Henderson Police Department was made aware of the disturbing video being circulated over multiple social media platforms depicting heinous animal abuse.

We can confirm these videos did not originate in the City of Henderson nor the United States, and there are no correlating criminal charges within the City of Henderson that can be filed for sharing these videos.

This case has been closed as unfounded.

We appreciate our community for coming forward with the information.

These types of social media accounts can be reported to the respective platform if they appear to be violating their terms of service or use.”

Original story continues below.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - The Henderson Police Department on Tuesday advised the community that it is investigating videos being shared on social media that appear to show “heinous animal abuse.”

Henderson police shared the update in a post on social media, saying it was “aware of the disturbing videos circulating on social media depicting heinous animal abuse.”

Police advised in the post that the department had received “numerous tips and messages regarding the videos.”

FOX5 received a tip through social media on Monday. FOX5 isn’t listing the name of the person on an X account, but the account said they lived in Henderson.

It is unknown if the person named on the account had anything to do with the torture of the cats or if they simply found the videos and then posted them on their account. It is also unknown where the cats came from or if they were tortured locally.

FOX5 saw several different accounts with the person’s name on X and Instagram. Several graphic videos were clearly accessible to the public and the accounts referred to Satan several times. One account had “Life and Death—in the name of Satan” under the name.

The department said it would share an update on its social media platforms once the investigation has concluded.