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Two dogs burned alive in pet carrier
Long Beach, CA (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Nov 4, 2006
County: Los Angeles
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 3 update(s) available
Two Chihuahuas were burned alive while trapped in a pet carrier found in an alley, necropsy results on the charred remains showed.
Police and Fire Department investigators renewed their plea for someone to come forward and help them find whoever was responsible for the killings, which occurred Nov. 4.
"This is just one of those very heinous crimes and there's literally nothing there to go on," fire Capt. Pat Wills said.
Firefighters were called to the East Broadway alley when a resident discovered the charred animals. Resident Robert Harper said a neighbor notified him of the burning carrier. Harper said the dogs could be heard yelping in pain.
Wills said the burned Chihuahuas had been locked inside a pet carrier and set ablaze while still alive.
Detectives did not know the motive.
"We don't know if somebody who owned the dogs did it, if it was a domestic violence deal, where someone decided, 'If I can't have them, you can't either,'" Wills said. "We don't know if it's kids. We're looking for any answers, any leads that we can find."
Investigators said the carrier was doused with lighter fluid.
"This gate will not slam shut on its own," said firefighter Chris Milburn. "It takes a human being to squeeze those together and latch it.
"Somebody who puts them in that kind of position is definitely somebody that we need to deal with."
Call (562) 570-2582 with information about the crime. If you have information on this case, please contact:
(562) 570-2582
Case Updates More than two weeks after the incident occurred, investigators with the Long Beach Fire and Police Arson Unit still are searching for answers. Despite sending out notices to numerous agencies throughout Southern California, they have received no calls, no tips, and have no witnesses to the crime, Wills explained. To make matters worse, the dogs did not have identification tags when found.
"We don't know who the dogs belong to," Wills said. "We can't even get a place to start from."
Motives in arson cases can range from revenge to crime concealment, he added. It could have been an act of domestic violence where a person took the dogs from their partner, or a case of animal cruelty by children or teens. Since the site where the animals were found is just off the 710 Freeway, investigators also must weigh the possibility that someone from out of town dumped them there. However, Wills said he is certain of one thing.
"It's very clear they were meant to be burned," he said. "It's almost as if somebody knew the dogs because they would've had to get them into the carrier."
To help people come forward with information, several local organizations are offering a total of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime.
FOLBA is offering $1,000, Haute Dogs is offering $1,000, and It's A Grind Coffee House is offering $3,000.
"We're hoping that with this kind of a reward," Vaughan said, "that somebody might feel like talking. Friends of Long Beach Animals just doesn't tolerate this kind of stuff at all. That's one of our goals, to end animal abuse and cruelty."
Although she said she has seen some pretty cruel things happen to animals in the past - dogs starved to death, a cat thrown into fire, another cat microwaved - Vaughan said this case of the Chihuahuas is by far the worst.
Haute Dogs founder and community activist Justin Rudd also said he never has seen anything like it.
"I've always seen crimes like this," Rudd said, "but it seems like they happen in other parts of the country.
"We need to treat our animals with respect, and this to me is despicable. If there's anything Haute Dogs can do to bring about justice in this case, we're here to help."
People with information on the crime should call the fire department's arson hotline at 570-2582. | Source: Gazettes.Com - Nov 30, 3006
Update posted on Nov 30, 2006 - 5:11PM |
Local animal-rights supporters offered a reward Wednesday in the case of two small dogs burned to death in a cage, calling the crime one of the most blatantly cruel acts they've seen.
The nonprofit group Friends of Long Beach Animals is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of those responsible for the burning death of two Chihuahuas, whose charred remains were discovered in a downtown alley on Nov. 5, the group's founder, Shirley Vaughan, announced Wednesday.
Community activist Justin Rudd quickly contributed another $1,000, Vaughan said, and her group is soliciting more funds from the public.
"Setting fire to two innocent, helpless dogs is one of the most blatant and cruelly planned acts of animal cruelty that Friends of Long Beach Animals have witnessed in our 17 years of existence," Vaughan said.
A necropsy report released earlier this week confirmed the dogs were alive when they were set on fire. Their bodies were found in a pet carrier dumped during the night in an alley in the 200 block of East Broadway.
Arson investigators in the Long Beach Fire and Police Departments are working with Long Beach Animal Control authorities on the case.
Investigators were stunned by the act and urged anyone in the area who saw something suspicious or who has information about the case to call the Arson Hotline at (562) 570-2852. Anonymous tips can be made.
They are also still trying to identify the dogs and find their owner - neither the Chihuahuas nor the crate had identification tags - and ask anyone who is missing their dogs to call (562) 570-7387.
Vaughan said she realizes that people are reluctant to speak and hoped the cash incentive would entice witnesses to contact authorities.
"I'm hoping this might bring somebody forward," Vaughan said. "If by chance it doesn't, the money will be used for future reward funds, unless they specify what they would like otherwise."
To contribute, make credit card donations through PayPal on the group's Web site - www.folba.org - or send a check or money order - marked "Reward Fund" - to the Friends of Long Beach Animals at P.O. Box 92736, Long Beach, 90809 or 3815 Atlantic Ave., Suite 4, Long Beach, 90807. | Source: Press-Telegram - Nov 22, 2006
Update posted on Nov 24, 2006 - 1:13AM |
| Haute Dogs is offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for burning two dogs alive in a create. This reward is in addition to the Friends Of Long Beach Animals $1,000 reward, bringing the total reward to $2000. If you have information leading to the capture of these criminals please contact the lead investigators of this crime at the Long Beach Fire Department at (562) 570-2582. | | Update posted on Nov 22, 2006 - 2:46PM |
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