Married Couple Face Animal Cruelty Charges In Connection To Vile Dog Rapist Adam Britton

An international investigation surrounding disgraced crocodile expert Adam Britton's acts of cruelty against pets in Australia resulted in the arrests of Lucas Russell VanWoert and Heather Marie VanWoert. Both face numerous animal cruelty charges.

This inquiry, jointly led by U.S. and Australian authorities, aimed to identify those linked to creating a disturbing video called "1B----9Pups," circulated in March 2022.

The video's producer faced nearly 60 charges related to animal cruelty, bestiality, and child exploitation material. 

A husband and wife duo, Lucas Russell VanWoert, 25, and Heather Marie VanWoert, 32, both from the U.S., face allegations of torturing dogs following an international investigation, per Daily Mail.

The investigation was initiated in response to the actions of a disgraced crocodile expert who committed acts of cruelty against pets in Australia, including rape and mutilation, which were recorded. In September 2022, authorities arrested the VanWoerts in Ohio, where they were charged with various counts of animal cruelty.

The investigation, conducted jointly by U.S. and Australian authorities, aimed to identify those creating a disturbing video called "1B----9Pups," circulated on Telegram and abuse websites in March 2022.

The video was produced by British-Australian zoologist and academic Adam Britton, who was arrested in Darwin a month later and charged with nearly 60 offenses related to bestiality, animal cruelty, and possession of child exploitation material.

Per documents filed in the U.S. District Court, the VanWoerts did not produce Britton's video. However, between approximately November 2020 and onward, Britton and Lucas exchanged 705 photos and videos depicting animal abuse.

Among these files were recordings of Lucas sexually assaulting and inflicting torture on at least four dogs inside the sleeper cabin of a tractor-trailer.

He shared these disturbing materials with Britton on Telegram under the alias "Graves," and detectives were able to trace the filming location to a Michigan truck stop, eventually leading to his identification. His visible face and distinctive sun-shaped arm tattoo in some footage aided in his recognition.

Despite the suspicions against him, Lucas wasn't arrested during the property raid but after voluntarily confessing to sexual acts, beatings, and dog strangulation at a former workplace in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also admitted to disposing of the dog's body in a dumpster.

Charges against him include creating "crushing" videos, which depict animals being stomped on or impaled to satisfy a sexual fetish, and distributing obscene material. Additionally, detectives discovered child exploitation videos on his electronic devices. In November 2022, his wife, Heather Marie, was arrested and faced 12 charges related to animal torture.

Jaden Young Korse, a 24-year-old from Kentucky, was also exposed by Daily Mail Australia for his involvement in editing Britton's disturbing videos before they were published online.

Like Lucas, Britton crossed paths with Korse in an online community centered on people who derive sexual pleasure from animal abuse, known as "Zoosadists." They established a connection on Telegram over their shared fixation on animal cruelty, with Britton using the alias "Monster" and Korse going by "Gorvaged."

In several videos displaying Britton's sexual abuse and torture of dogs, he showed signs reading "Gorvaged," seemingly acknowledging Korse for editing his content.

Korse and Britton's identities were unveiled in April 2022, thanks to determined internet investigators who were appalled by the footage and tirelessly worked to bring those involved to justice. 

Korse eventually battled and died from an accidental fentanyl overdose on December 21, 2021.

Britton's intent for uploading the "1B----9pups" video to an abuse website was reportedly to make it the most notorious "shock video" on the internet. Still, it mainly drew the ire of online users appalled by the extreme violence depicted.

These users meticulously combed through the video for clues, and eventually, someone spotted an orange City of Darwin leash on one of the dogs, leading to the identification of Britton. This individual promptly reported Britton to the authorities.

The non-publication order was lifted upon Britton's guilty plea in Darwin's Supreme Court on Monday, where he admitted to 37 counts of animal cruelty, ten counts of dog rape or attempted rape, and four counts of possessing or transmitting child abuse material.