Rewards Offered In Dog Burned To Death Case In West Haven

WEST HAVEN, CT — Rewards are being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of the small dog that was burned to death late last week in West Haven. Police are continuing to investigate the death of the dog, which they say was possibly a 1-year-old "mini Schnauzer" with cropped ears and a cropped tail, that was found at the source of a fire that was extinguished in the Sandy Point Beach parking lot. Emergency crews had responded to area of Beach Street near Third Avenue/Second Avenue at about 10 a.m. on July 5 on the report of an "uncontained fire" in the Sandy Point Beach parking lot.

A local rescue group, Green Fur Kidz, Inc., almost immediately began raising funds for reward money and PETA announced Tuesday afternoon that it was joining the cause. PETA is offering up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible.

"If this little dog was alive when she was set on fire, the agony and terror that she must have felt are almost unimaginable," PETA Vice President Colleen O'Brien said. "PETA urges anyone with information about this horrific crime to come forward immediately so that this dog's killer can be held accountable and stopped from hurting anyone else."

West Haven resident Meli Garthwait, who runs Green Fur Kidz, is leading the local fundraising effort for reward money. She told FOX61 that one of her neighbors told her that he heard a dog screaming “like terrifying, horrendous, awful screaming," late on Thursday night (July 4).

The group has raised nearly $20,000 in reward money, including a $10,000 donation from the Executive Auto Group and donations from other organizations.

West Haven Police said in a statement earlier this week that they are not involved in any of the private fundraising activities and “cannot accept any donations on their behalf. Please do your own research and reach out to them directly if you choose to participate.”

Police also shared a photo on social media of a white pickup truck in an effort to contact the driver for information related to the case. Police said the driver was identified, located and interviewed regarding the incident.

"The subject was confirmed to have had NO INVOLVEMENT in this incident, but did assist with the investigation," police said in a post on Facebook. "Thank you to the public for your assistance."

Anyone who may have seen the fire or any other suspicious activity in the area between 10 p.m. July 4 and 10 a.m. July 5 is asked to contact the West Haven Police Department (203) 937-3900 or Detective Wolf at (203) 937-3934, or EMAIL: mwolf@whpd.com.

For more information on the local fundraising efforts for reward money, visit the Green Fur Kidz, Inc. rescue group on Facebook here. For the full story on FOX61, visit here.