A 24-year-old man has been charged with animal cruelty after a neighbor detected a strong odor coming from the man’s apartment. The building manager of the Chelsea, Massachusetts apartment building would later discover the suspect’s dog deceased and rotting. In a statement, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden wrote, “This is another tragic case of a pet suffering because its owner did not take some simple, humane steps like bringing the dog to a local shelter or a rescue organization.”

The Boston Herald reports that 24-year-old Massi Ennis was charged in Chelsea District Court with animal cruelty on Friday. Judge Matthew Machera set $500 bail and ordered Ennis to have no contact with animals. Ennis is scheduled to return to court on December 23. Police responded to the building at 185 Washington Avenue in Chelsea on October 27 and spoke to the apartment manager who told them about the neighbor’s complaint and the dog he found.

A neighbor informed officers they hadn’t seen Ennis for about a week. She said she often heard him yelling at the dog. Police noticed that his mailbox was overflowing. Ennis was located and arrested three days later.