Dog Kidnapped, Ransom Demanded For His Return To 12-Year-Old Owner In Prince George's

HYATTSVILLE, MD — Surveillance video captured the gut-wrenching moment when a child's precious 3-year-old Yorkie was stolen from the front porch of her family's Hyattsville home. Now, the dognapper is demanding a ransom.

Raquel Witherspoon told WUSA her 12-year-old daughter's Yorkie named Avery somehow got out of the house and was on the porch. When they realized he wasn't in the home, they checked the home's doorbell surveillance video and saw him outside on the front porch. But when they opened the door, he was already gone.

The video captured a woman with red hair and a man with a backpack try to lure Avery away before just walking up and grabbing him.

"He’s family. He’s my granddog. He’s family. I’ll do anything to get him back, anything," Witherspoon said.

A police report has been filed and Witherspoon has hung flyers around the neighborhood, WUSA reported.

“That’s when I got a call yesterday around 3 p.m. with the suspect, she stated to give her $1,200 and I’d get the dog back. I said no problem. She said send me pictures of the money, so I spread out the money and took a picture of it and I sent it to her," Witherspoon said.

She told WUSA that's when the woman on the other end of the phone started cursing at her and making threatening comments toward the family's beloved dog.

“Then she sent the video of him in a cage. My daughter was distraught. I’m trying to be strong for her and in the same instance I’m like wow, it hurts. Avery is a part of our family so we definitely need him back," Witherspoon said.