MIDDLEBROOK, VA — Authorities have arrested a Virginia woman for shooting and killing a half-dozen puppies and dumping the bodies down an embankment.

The Augusta County Sheriff's Office says deputies were called to a stretch of road in Middlebrook, a town in western Virginia about 40 miles west of Charlottesville, on December 22. Authorities found six deceased puppies at the bottom of an embankment. All had suffered apparent gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.

The puppies were estimated to be between four and six months old.

On Thursday, December 27, deputies announced 39-year-old Betty G. Hemp, who lives in Middlebrook, was arrested and charged in the dogs' deaths. She faces six counts of animal cruelty, a felony, and six counts of illegal dumping, a misdemeanor.

She was released after posting a $2,500 unsecured bond, the sheriff's office said.

Authorities have not released any information as to why Hemp may have killed the dogs, or how she came into contact with them.