The Kennel Killer: These Dogs Were Not Man's Best Friend

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Last Tuesday night, March 20th, a man stumbled upon two dog heads in a recycling bin behind the CVS store at the intersection of W. Slauson and S. Vermont Avenue. The man found the two heads, a chocolate Labrador retriever mix and a tan German Shepherd, beheaded in the trash can, with no signs of dog fighting or death by anything other than intentional slaughter. The heads are believed to have been severed by a large, sharp object, at a location other than CVS. Los Angeles Police Department Detective Hector Sanchez, who heads the city's Animal Cruelty Task Force, issued a $20,000 reward on Wednesday for any information leading to the capture and conviction of the individual responsible for the two severed dog heads found in the trash bin in South Los Angeles last week. "This is one of the most heinous crimes against animals in my lifetime," said Councilman Paul Koretz. The reward consists of $10,000 from the city, $2,500 from each Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Best Friends Animal Society, and $2,500 from Koretz. Koretz, the chair of the City Council Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee, and Councilwoman Jan Perry, announced the reward Wednesday morning, alongside the Los Angeles Police Department. The goal of Best Friends Animal Society, according to Elizabeth Oreck, a spokeswoman, is to “…increase the reward to incentivize someone to come forward to help with the apprehension and conviction of whoever is responsible of this terrible crime.” The bodies of the dogs have not been found, and no one has come forward as owners of the two missing dogs. "People are paying attention to this case because it's so strange and so there is so much mystery surrounding it," Oreck said. "Two cleanly severed heads, not dog-fighting dogs, obviously these were someone's pets." The largest concern of the Police Department is that the individual who committed this crime is most likely highly violent. Often times, violent individuals get progressively more violent with each crime. Little crimes lead to more and more daring ones, and can eventually lead to crimes extremely dangerous to the community, such as murder. Along with this kind of crime comes the question of mental stability of the individual who committed the crime, which adds even more to the fear of the community and law enforcement. The city of Los Angeles has not found any more evidence leading to the individual or the whereabouts of the dog’s bodies. The city is currently relying on its citizens to take action and come forward with any information concerning the crime. "Somebody who is that unbalanced is a real threat to the community. It may not be just dogs that they can do this to," Oreck said.