SKIDMORE, Texas — The Bee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a dog that they believe was intentionally set on fire last weekend in the town of Skidmore, Texas.
“There is no explanation for it,” Bee County Sheriff Alden Southmayd said.
According to Southmayd, on Sunday a Skidmore family returned from a trip and expected to be greeted by their dog, Buddy. They quickly began to worry when he wasn’t there.
On Wednesday night, the family discovered a patch of burned grass in their back yard with a trail leading underneath their home. There, they found Buddy. The dog had been burned to death.
"This is in my opinion a horrific crime," the Sheriff said.
Investigators with the Bee County Sheriff’s Office said the dog had been dead for a couple of days. They believe the fire was set intentionally and are trying to find out who is responsible.
"I don't know how anyone could do something like this to an animal," he said.
Sheriff Southmayd said other animal owners in the area have expressed their concern.
"You have a lot of people that are afraid for their pets because they don't know why or how this happened, so they're gonna be scared that it could happen to their pets," he said.
Buddy’s owners also want to know who is responsible. He was the family's seven year old's best friend and only had one eye.
Posts have begun making their rounds on social media looking for information that can help find whoever set the animal on fire. In the mean time, Sheriff Southmayd and his investigators said they are determined to bring justice; this animal cruelty case warrants a felony charge and they have surveillance footage that needs to be looked at.
"We're gonna be recovering any evidence we can get from those cameras," he said.
Authorities are asking that anyone with information about the case call the Bee County Sheriff's Office at 361-362-3223.
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