Pet groomer arrested, accused of killing 4 dogs in his care

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Memphis Police Department has arrested and charged a local pet groomer accused of killing four dogs in his care.

According to a Shelby County arrest affidavit, on August 24, 2026, Keaton Stuckey was hired to groom five Yorkies belonging to Adrianna Gruins.

Gruins says Stuckey had been her trusted groomer for nearly four years, and that they had built a close personal bond.

The affidavit reveals that Stuckey sent Gruins several videos showing that two of her dogs had died, with another vomiting and struggling to breathe.

In the videos, Stuckey claimed the dogs had ingested hair dye. Gruins says she had to watch her beloved pets pass away in the footage while she was rushing to Stuckey’s residence.

By the time she arrived, four of her five dogs—Jordan, Lala, Mazii-Dior, and Jayda—were dead. Only one survived.

Gruins says all five had been placed together in a single kennel.

After discovering her pets, Gruins called 911 and was connected with Memphis Animal Services. Officers seized the deceased animals, and a subsequent necropsy performed on the four dogs revealed that they did not die of poisoning, but rather from fatal heatstroke.

Investigators noted that at no point in the videos did Stuckey make any attempt to take the suffering dogs to a veterinarian or pet hospital. Gruins also noted that after the tragedy, Stuckey went on Facebook to bash his longtime client and speak negatively about her deceased dogs.

Stuckey was taken into custody on September 8, 2026. He is now facing four felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Gruins says that while the arrest represents partial justice, she hopes he is held fully accountable for the pain he caused.

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