Ft. Lauderdale Burglary Ends With Loss Of Family Pet
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) -- Fort Lauderdale Police are looking for those responsible for a residential burglary and the death of a family pet inside the home.
Police say a woman who lives on NE 26th Terrace and 26th Place came home Tuesday night after being gone for just over two hours. She found her back patio glass door smashed. Every room in the home was ransacked and her 10-pound dachshund was missing.
"Yippee and cute and so full of life," is how neighbor Cindi Souther described the daschund. "Terrible that something so tragic happened to her little dog."
According to an incident report, when police arrived to search the house they noticed a trail of blood and found the dachshund dead in a small closet and a knife in the hallway.
"I'm horrified I'm petrified," said Souther. "My heart goes out to her, really does, some people their pets are their children."
The message, "YOU NEXT," was carved into the wooden front door.
Police still don't know if this was a random or targeted crime. It's also unclear if anything was taken from the home.
"The family is trying to grasp their mind about what happened to their pet and then they will report their loss to us," said Det. Deanna Greenlaw of Fort Lauderdale Police.
Detectives searched the neighborhood for any possible leads. They are asking anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area Tuesday between 10:00 pm and 12:30 am to call police or Broward Crimestoppers at 954-493-TIPS.