 Dog and cat carcasses buried in woods
Lexington, SC (US)Incident Date: Friday, May 12, 2000
County: Lexington
Local Map: available
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
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A walker's discovery of three animal carcasses Friday afternoon near Red Bank led Lexington County authorities to the buried bodies of 10 other dogs.
Joe Mergo said he has few leads in the case but is following up on evidence collected at the grave site near S.C. 6 and Bethany Church Road. He is director of solid waste management and animal services in Lexington County.
A person who regularly walks along the woods reported the carcasses about noon after seeing fresh footprints or tire marks in a driveway leading to the woods, Mergo said. The identity of the walker was not immediately available, and Mergo said he had not yet talked to the person.
The person walked into the woods and "smelled something awfully smelly," Mergo said. That's when the person found the carcass of a deer that apparently had been hit by a vehicle and thrown into the woods, Mergo said.
But the walker also noticed the carcasses of a cat and a puppy, and called the Lexington County Shreiff's Department, Mergo said.
When deputies and Mergo arrived, they noticed that the carcasses of the puppy and the cat had been placed on an area that had been recently disturbed, Mergo said. They dug about 4 feet deep and found bags similar to garbage bags, Mergo said.
"We couldn't lift them, so we called for a backhoe to lift them out," Mergo said.
Inside the bags were more dog carcasses, Mergo said. Some of the dogs had been dead longer than others, based on the level of decomposition, Mergo said. Some had not been dead longer than a week, he said.
No more than two carcasses were put into each bag, Mergo said. The carcasses were buried elsewhere after officials determined that they were too decomposed to examine for cause of death, he said.
Mergo said he had not yet determined who owned the property on which the carcasses were found.
It is not clear whether criminal charges could be filed in the case, Mergo said. Officials would have to show animal cruelty occurred, he said.
"It depends on the manner that the dogs died," Mergo said.
Call Mergo at (803) 359-8149 if you have information about the case. If you have information on this case, please contact:
Joe Mergo
(803) 359-8149
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