Suburban Chicago man detained after killing family dog, threatening to kill stepdaughters
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — A man was ordered detained after being charged with killing his family's dog and threatening to kill his two stepdaughters, the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.
Nathan Gonzalez, 36, appeared in court on Wednesday. He was charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals and two counts of misdemeanor endangering the health or life of a child. Additionally, the judge granted the state's motion to detain Gonzalez on unrelated misdemeanor domestic battery charges for allegedly hitting his wife with a baseball bat on Oct. 2.
On Sept. 29, just before 6 a.m., Naperville police received a 911 call from a 14-year-old girl who said that her stepfather, later identified as Gonzalez, had killed their family dog and was threatening to kill her and her 11-year-old stepsister.
Officers arrived at the home and found the two girls, but Gonzalez and the family dog, Rocco, a black and white Shih Tzu, were missing, the office said.
Investigation into the matter indicated that Gonzalez and his wife were out for the evening but had a dispute and took separate rides home, with Gonzalez arriving at the home first. After the pair split, Gonzalez allegedly called his wife and told her he was going to kill Rocco.
When she arrived home, she allegedly found Gonzalez at home, but the dog was missing. The two argued, during which Gonzalez allegedly told his wife that he had killed Rocco and dumped his body in a construction site before leaving the home.
Officers received a call several hours later to inform them that Gonzalez had returned home. When officers arrived, they learned that Gonzalez had fled the area on foot but was found a few blocks away hiding behind a dumpster.
The next day, Naperville Animal Control officers found the dog at a construction site. A necropsy found blunt force trauma to the head as the cause of death.
Gonzalez is due back in court on Nov. 18 for arraignment on the aggravated cruelty to animals case.