Dog Killer
Pit bull killed, burned and dumped in a Houston sewer: Authorities search for cruel creep
Local firefighters pulled a pit bull out of the sewer system that had been set on fire and seemingly burned to death in a horrific weekend scene.
After receiving a call that there was a fire in the sewer drain at Ella Crossing and Burnell Oaks Lane, The Ponderosa Fire Department found the body of a burned dog.
Security cameras on a nearby house caught the crime on tape. Around 10:15 a.m., a dark sedan pulled up near the sewer.
The dog was already dead before the firefighters pulled the body out. It is unknown if the white pit bull was alive or dead before it was set on fire.
A man got out and stood with a bag by the storm drain for a few minutes. He then set the bag on fire and put it into the hole. As the car drove away smoke filled the air.
The dog was already dead before the firefighters pulled the body out. It is unknown for certain if the white pit bull was alive or dead before it was set on fire.
"The suspect somehow pushed the dog or dumped the dog into the storm sewer as he was lighting it on fire, and it was on fire inside the storm sewer," Harris County Fire Marshal investigator Scott Schoonover tells KHOU.
Neighbors were not surprised to see a white pit bull turn up as the dog victim.
The night before a man was walking around the neighborhood asking if anyone was interested in buying a white pit bull for $100, neighbors tell KHOU. Investigators have yet to confirm if this is linked to the dog found in the sewer.
Both the fire marshals office and the Houston SPCA are investigating this crime. Though this is considered an arson investigation, the person responsible is also expected to face animal cruelty charges.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office at 281-537-5900 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).
