The Tragic Tale of a Social Media Influencer, a Dead Dog, and a Restaurant Scandal
In a disturbing story that has ignited outrage across social media, aspiring Manhattan influencer Fahmida Sultana finds herself at the center of two controversies – one involving the death of a beloved Husky named Jiacheng (JC) while under her care, and another concerning an alleged failure to fulfill promotional obligations for a Vietnamese restaurant. The dual scandals have painted a troubling portrait of a social media personality whose apparent negligence has led to heartbreak for a pet owner and frustration for a small business owner.
The more severe of the two incidents involves Brooklyn resident Juny “Eleven” Li, who hired Sultana in March to care for her 7-year-old Husky JC for ten days while she visited family in China. The arrangement, which cost $360, was made through the pet-sitting app Rover but conducted offline to avoid fees. What began as a seemingly standard pet-sitting job ended in tragedy when Li, who had been receiving minimal updates about her pet despite numerous check-in attempts, was informed on the day of her return that JC had suddenly died. When Li’s boyfriend went to retrieve the dog from Sultana, he was met with a horrifying sight – JC’s body had been stuffed into a plastic bag and then placed in a wheeled suitcase, which Sultana and her boyfriend had transported by taxi to a veterinary clinic in Chelsea, more than two miles from Sultana’s Hell’s Kitchen apartment. According to Li’s boyfriend, the dog’s decomposing body emitted such a powerful odor that the veterinary clinic had to light candles, and other animals in the waiting room began whimpering before the suitcase was even opened.
The necropsy report from Cornell, while inconclusive due to the “degree of autolysis” (initial decomposition), revealed that JC had experienced muscle wasting, though it couldn’t determine if this was chronic or caused by external factors. The report ruled out poisoning and starvation as causes of death. However, what has raised significant concern is the condition of JC’s body, which suggested he had been dead longer than the “that morning” timeframe Sultana claimed. As Li noted, “The nurse was the one that told us first — She’s like, ‘They say your dog died this morning? There’s no way. There’s no way, how his body is conditioned.'” Adding to the mystery, JC’s red collar was missing when his body was returned, and when Li asked about it, Sultana claimed not to have it. The heartbroken pet owner described JC as meaning “the whole world” to her, saying, “For the first two months [after his death], I would carry this pillow [with JC’s face] and stay in the cage and just cry.”
While dealing with this devastating loss, Li encountered additional challenges when attempting to hold Sultana accountable. For months, Li struggled to serve Sultana with court papers – the influencer’s doorman prevented access to her apartment, and family members at another address refused to answer when police arrived. Rover has since deactivated Sultana’s account, though the company had limited information since the pet-sitting arrangement wasn’t booked through their platform. A representative from Rover expressed condolences to Li, stating, “Our hearts go out to Ms. Li as she mourns this devastating loss. We understand how distressing and painful Jiacheng’s passing must be, as many of us at Rover are pet parents ourselves.” Throughout this ordeal, Sultana has maintained her innocence, telling her Instagram followers, “I would never harm any animal,” while suggesting she couldn’t provide details due to an expected civil lawsuit from Li.
The dog controversy might never have gained such widespread attention if not for Sultana’s simultaneous involvement in another public dispute. Just as animal lovers were expressing outrage over JC’s death, Sultana was already facing backlash for allegedly accepting $200 worth of free food and drinks from Long Island City Vietnamese restaurant Chef Papa in exchange for creating a “lifestyle and hospitality video” – content she purportedly failed to deliver on time. The situation escalated when the restaurant owner created his own video calling out Sultana, to which she responded by posting content that disparaged the family-owned establishment. In a social media statement, Sultana acknowledged the conflict but attributed it to “miscommunication and lack of urgency… [that] led to an unfilled collaboration.”
As the dual controversies continue to unfold, thousands of angry internet users have called for Sultana’s arrest, though no charges have been filed against her in either case. For Li, the viral attention generated by the Chef Papa incident finally provided traction for her efforts to seek justice for JC, with social media influencer Goob helping to amplify her story. While Sultana has expressed sympathy for “the distress that people who have seen the video and posts online have felt,” Li remains determined to pursue a civil suit against the influencer. The case highlights the darker side of social media culture, where the pursuit of online fame can sometimes overshadow basic responsibilities and ethical considerations, leaving real-world damage in its wake.
