MIAMI – O.J. Simpson's ex-girlfriend is not missing, and has been notified by her apartment manager that police found her cat dead in her home, police said Wednesday.
The apartment manager at The Towers, where Christie Prody lives, told police he saw her after the cat was found by police and told her what happened.
She told the manager that she had been out of town for about a month, Miami-Dade Police spokesman Lupo Jimenez said. Police said the cat probably starved to death.
"There's no missing person," Jimenez said. "Ms. Prody has been seen prior to and after the incident. O.J. is not involved. This is strictly an animal-abuse case."
Prody was cited for one count of animal cruelty, a first-degree misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine, Miami-Dade Police spokeswoman Nelda Fonticiella said Tuesday. She said police believe the cat "died of starvation," but was too decomposed for a necropsy.
Police found the cat inside Prody's apartment Saturday after a neighbor reported a foul odor and said she hadn't seen Prody in about a month.
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."
Officers posted the citation on Prody's door on Tuesday, she said.
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.
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