Miami Beach Police Searching For Man Possibly Connected To Dog's Fatal Beating
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Beach Police Department has released video of a man they want to talk to in connection to the fatal beating of a dog.
According to police, a Publix employee found the Yorkie on the second floor of the supermarket's parking garage at 1920 West Avenue.
The Publix employee flagged down on off-duty officer to help the 4 to 5-year-old dog.
A group of officers used a thick piece of cardboard to stabilize the Yorkie, which they named "Lily," and transport it to the Doral Centre Animal Hospital Emergency And Trauma Center.
An X-ray revealed Lily had several broken ribs and significant swelling in her neck.
"Basically we have seven fractured ribs on the left side… one, two, three, four, five, six, seven," Dr. Joy Carter said, showing CBS4's Hank Tester the X-rays.
The veterinary staff also noted that Lily had bloodshot red eyes, which in conjunction with the neck swelling, was a strong indication she may have been strangled.
"She never regained consciousness. We helped control her pain, tried to keep her stable," Cater said.
But the eight-pound Yorkie was so badly abused she didn't make it.
Miami Beach police went scouring for surveillance to see who would do such a thing.
On that April 7th night, cameras captured a red Toyota Yaris near where the employee found Lily.
Police believe the suspect, who is seen on surveillance placing something on the ground, dumped Lily near the support pillar before taking off.
Additional surveillance shows the rather large man walking to and waiting for the elevator.
Another shot captured him entering Publix, which police believe he went into to wash his hands.
The final shot recorded him leaving in his red 4-door Yaris hatchback with a pizza delivery sign on top.
"This was left for dead, someone did this on purpose, knows what they did. Just decided to dump the dog's body off in a trash can at Publix," Carter said.
If you have any information that can help police with this investigation, please contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.