Woman sees several animal abuse counts dropped after indictment filed, hearing set for Monday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several charges against a Boone County dog breeder have been dropped after a superseding indictment was filed on Friday.

Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, is now charged with 13 counts of felony animal abuse and a lone count of misdemeanor animal abuse. She is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. She previously faced 29 felony counts of animal abuse.

An arraignment for the new set of charges is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday, April 20. A jury trial was scheduled for the following week.

Sanders ran Magnum Opus German Shepherds and a number of dead dogs, including a dozen dog skulls, were found at the property of the business when law enforcement served a search warrant in 2025, according to court documents in previous reporting. Several malnourished dogs were also found at the property.

Court documents say at least two living dogs that were found were on the brink of death.