A 36-year-old man, Ronnie Morris, is now facing felony animal cruelty charges after a dog named Nala was found dead in Monticello.

According to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, Morris admitted to owning the dog.

Nala was discovered last week in a crate at an abandoned home on Cold Spring Road, extremely underfed and having succumbed to the cold.

Officials allege that Morris had ceased caring for Nala since December.

He was arrested on the charges Tuesday but was subsequently released on bail.

Officials say the public's assistance led them to identify the dog's owner after they shared information about the dog's death on Facebook and said the pit bull was found deceased in a crate.