Police Find Dead Cat at Miami Home of Simpson's Ex-Girlfriend

MIAMI – Police found a dead cat inside the apartment of O.J. Simpson's ex-girlfriend after a neighbor reported a foul odor, but they didn't find her.

Miami-Dade police said Monday that no missing persons report has been filed for Christie Prody, who once dated the former football star, and she has not been located.

Police said they went to her apartment Saturday after a neighbor said she had not seen Prody in about a month.

Officers found the cat's body in the doorway and clothing scattered on the floor of Prody's apartment along with semi-packed luggage, according to a police report. The report said the apartment appeared to have been ransacked.

Simpson, who lives in west Miami-Dade County, was questioned Sunday after officers at the scene referred the matter to a missing persons unit.

Yale Galanter, Simpson's attorney, said Simpson called Prody while he met with police and told them, "She's OK. She's out and about."

Galanter said the couple ended their relationship at the end of last summer and Simpson hasn't seen her since. He said Prody has a new roommate.

"He didn't even know that she had a cat. O.J. is an animal lover ... He's got two dogs," Galanter said. "She's an ex-girlfriend. What does he have to do with her or her cats or her new living situation?"

Prody was cited for one count of animal cruelty, a first-degree misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine, Miami-Dade Police spokeswoman Nelda Fonticiella said.

Officers posted the citation on Prody's door on Tuesday, she said.

Fonticiella said a necropsy could not be performed on the cat because its body was so badly decomposed.

"They believe it died of starvation," Fonticiella said.

Prody has an unlisted phone number and could not be reached for comment.

Simpson was acquitted in 1995 in Los Angeles of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, but was later found liable for their deaths in a lawsuit filed by their families.

In October, a Miami-Dade jury acquitted Simpson of burglary and battery charges stemming from a December, 2000, altercation with another motorist.