CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — It’s been nearly a month since Ross County deputies were called to a Chillicothe address and found a pit bull burned to death.
On Feb. 8, deputies were called to a home on Camelin Hill Road on a report of a structure on fire with a dog inside. An official report states that people living at the home heard a loud bang and went outside where they found their wooden dog kennel on fire.
A pit bull named King was still inside.
Residents told deputies that they attempted to put the fire out with a garden hose but they were struggling to contain it.
The report says that the kennel had straw covering the grounds and the dog was found dead with burns all over.
The people told deputies they believed it was a case of arson as they heard a vehicle driving quickly down the road.
The Ross County Dog Warden took up the investigation surrounding the dog.
Ross County Humane Society Executive Director Jenn Thomas said the dog warden was filing charges in the case by Wednesday morning, but no other details around the investigation were immediately available.
Thomas, who has been with the Ross County Humane Society for 10 years, said this was the worst case of animal abuse she’s ever seen.
“There’s so many ways that a dog can die and that is probably the worst,” said Thomas. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years and I’ve seen a lot of things, but the pictures of that dog will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
She was looped into the investigation and oversaw taking the dog’s body to Ohio State for a necropsy. Even though it’s been weeks since she experienced it firsthand, she said the images are still fresh.
“I think about the dog every day and it’s been a month,” she said. “It has haunted my dreams almost every day since it happened.”
She said the dog was very likely alive when it burned.
The Humane Society and the Ross County Dog Warden were able to offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Thomas said they will pay that out when they learn more.
“We kept upping the reward because somebody has to know. It was not an accident. There was no way it was an accident, even if somebody tells me it was an accident, it’s just not possible,” she said.
Thomas said if someone suspects animal abuse, it’s better to report it than to be too late.
“If you see something you don’t think is right, say something to somebody. Again, I would rather you be wrong and us check on it than me have to look at a dog’s charred body,” she pleaded. “I want this dog to have justice. I want this to not have been in vain. Even if it means it prevents somebody else from thinking about doing it or it prevents whatever happened in that neighborhood from happening again, there’s not need for it. It’s senseless.”
The animal abuse charges being filed in this case are class 3 felony charges. If anyone knows something surrounding the death or the fire, they should contact the Ross County Dog Warden, Ross County Sheriff's Office or Ross County Humane Society.