The Cumberland County SPCA is offering an $1,860-and-growing reward to anyone with information regarding a Wednesday incident where a German shepherd was found duct-taped, gutted and discarded on the side of the road.
As of Thursday, no one had stepped forward to claim ownership of the pet, found dead Wednesday afternoon around 4 p.m. on the shoulder of Gould Avenue with its mouth duct-taped shut, its front paws duct-taped together and its belly slit open.
There was no identifying microchip implanted in the dog and it had no tags.
A necropsy performed on the full-grown male animal revealed Thursday in addition to those atrocities, its tongue was half-removed and its rectum was cut out.
"I just found this out this afternoon and I'm still kind of stunned," said SPCA Executive Director Bev Greco. "We have to determine if the wounds are post-mortum.
"Regardless, it is ugly. It's really ugly. It takes a lot to shock me, and, man ... that is one sick and depraved individual who can do this kind of thing."
Greco said she believes the dog was killed elsewhere before being left on Gould Avenue, between Route 553 and Faison Lane.
Offering a separate $500 reward are Fairfield Township residents Linda and Sam Spatola.
Linda Spatola, the owner of a Pekingnese and a Pug, said Thursday she was disgusted when she saw the picture of the dead dog on the front page of Thursday's News.
"It just made me sick," she remarked. "If anybody can do that to a dog, imagine what they could do to a human being."
Spatola said it could have just as easily been one of her two pets killed.
"Dogs are man's best friend," she remarked. "So, this is pretty low."
If anyone has any information about this incident, they can contact the Cumberland County SPCA at 691-1500.
Spatola can be reached at 455-7335.
Greco said the next step is to dust for fingerprints on the duct tape, in the hopes of fingering a culprit.
She added the best hope of bringing the one responsible for this vile act to justice is if a good Samaritan steps forward.
"I hope maybe the money will help push someone to talk," Greco remarked. Case UpdatesA memorial service yesterday for a slain German shepherd, posthumously named Justice, became a public rally for stricter animal cruelty laws and severe penalties for those convicted of such offenses.
More than 200 people gathered outside the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals yesterday morning to remember the shepherd, who was found dead and discarded April 18 along a Fairfield Township rural road. The post-mortem investigation revealed the suspects gutted the shepherd while it was alive, causing the distressed dog to bite through its own tongue.
Guest speaker Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew urged those present to join his 2 1/2-year fight to revise the state�s 125-year animal cruelty laws.
Local incidents are not isolated cases, he said, referring to the high-profile arrest Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick on dog fighting allegations..
Getting Angel�s Law passed has been an uphill battle, Van Drew told the crowd.
�The truth is because there are so many players and it�s such a complicated process, we haven�t been able to get entirely to the finish line,� he said. �We need to get to finish line � we need to make it better.
The public can help by contacting legislators throughout the state and Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus to lobby their support for the bill, Van Drew said, hoping to get a vote on the bill this fall.
State Senator Nicholas Asselta, who has also taken up the fight for tougher animal cruelty laws, said legislation alone is not enough.
The public must demand that law enforcement officials and prosecutors aggressively pursue the prosecution of animal cruelty offenders.
�This morning, I believe that�s what it�s all about, challenging our prosecutor�s offices around this state and our law enforcement people to pay particular attention to all the laws already on the books to make sure our animals are protected,� Asselta said.
HOW TO HELP
Anyone with information regarding the Justice case is asked to call the SPCA at (856) 691-1500.
To send e-mails to state legislators, go to www.njleg.state.nj.us.
Click on �Contact Us� at the top of the page to the right.
Then go down midway down the webpage to where it says �Your state legislators welcome your thoughts �� and click on �Complete this form.�
Select a municipality and then click on �Find Representatives.� Choose the state representatives you wish to e-mail by place a check in the boxes to the left of �Select Your Representatives.�
Fill out the electronic form with your message and click send.
To E-mail the N.J. Department of Agriculture, go online to: www.state.nj.us/agriculture/contact.shtml | Source: The Daily Journal - July 21, 2007
Update posted on Jul 22, 2007 - 7:44AM |
The gutting of a German shepherd, now known as Justice, was inflicted while the dog was still alive, according to autopsy report delivered to the SPCA today. The report determined the dog apparently bit off its own tongue as a result of the torture.
The cause of death is official listed as hemorrhagic shock and death, according to Bev Greco, executive director of the Cumberland County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Anyone with information about this case of animal cruelty is asked to anonymously contact the SPCA at (856) 691-1500.
A memorial service for Justice will be held 10 a.m. July 21 at the SPCA headquarters on Delsea Drive, near Oak Road. The public is welcome. Assemblyman Jeff Van Drew will be the guest speaker. | Source: Delware Online - July 9, 2007
Update posted on Jul 10, 2007 - 5:57AM |
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals investigators believe they have isolated a fingerprint on the duct tape used to bind the slain German shepherd known as Justice.
They are now trying to arrange to run the print through the state police lab since the crime scene was in Fairfield Township, which falls within its jurisdiction, said Bev Greco, the agency's executive director.
Acting on a tip, SPCA agents found Justice dumped on the shoulder of Gould Avenue on April 18 with its muzzle and front paws bound in silver duct tape.
The dog, missing half its tongue, had also been slashed across the stomach. Its rectum also was cut.
The fingerprint may aid the SPCA's search for a suspect, especially if the culprit had a previous brush with the law and has prints on file.
Investigators are also pursuing several tips.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Justice's body remained at the Cumberland County SPCA.
Experts affiliated with the Veterinary School of the University of Pennsylvania are reviewing photographs of the dog's injuries.
With the dog's many injuries, it was difficult for the SPCA to determine an exact cause of death. The organization opted to ask for a second opinion to develop the documentation that could be used to support a criminal prosecution.
If needed, the SPCA can draw Justice's blood to forward to University of Pennsylvania.
"It's their call; we can transport it to them," Greco said.
In other developments, the reward fund has reached more than $10,000.
"On Saturday, we received about $1,000 over the counter in individual contributions," Greco said.
The SPCA has established the Justice Fund at Commerce Bank. After the account was established, the bank management sent out an e-mail to all its branches.
Now anyone can walk into any Commerce Bank and make a donation to the Justice Fund. That money will be deposited into the special SPCA account.
Greco noted support has spread well beyond the immediate area, with donations coming in from Florida and Connecticut.
If for some reason this case remains unsolved or is solved without the help of a tip, Greco said she wanted to ensure the money was earmarked for the purpose for which it was donated.
The money will be used for an SPCA account to post reward money to help solve incidents of animal cruelty.
A memorial service will be held for Justice once the investigation is complete and the dog's body is cleared for cremation. A date has yet to be scheduled. | Source: The Daily Journal - April 25, 2007
Update posted on Apr 29, 2007 - 2:20PM |
The dog is being called "Justice" by the animal shelter officials.
"It was a protracted act of violence, torture, and mutilating of the body; it is a special kind of sick," Bev Greco of the Cumberland County SPCA said.
Greco said the dog's carcass was found by a school bus driver dumped off a highway in Fairfield Township, New Jersey.
"This is a very frightening thing and it should not be taken lightly," Greco said.
The horrific cruelty it took the kill the dog is reason enough for the entire community to be concerned, Greco said.
"This is just a precursor of possible acts of violence against humans," Greco said.
Greco and the New Jersey State Police are working on different theories for a possible motive.
The first is that it could some part of a twisted, ritualistic act or the other is that the person who killed Justice could have been looking for drugs.
"If the dog may have ingested someone's stash and they were trying to retrieve the drugs from the dog's body," Greco said.
Officials said Justice was a healthy German Shepherd, about four to five years old.
There is a $10,000 reward for information leading up to the successful prosecution of the killer.
If found, the person(s) responsible could face 18 months behind bars, a $10,000 fine and counseling. | Source: KYW - April 26, 2007
Update posted on Apr 27, 2007 - 1:52AM |
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