A 6-month-old female Jack Russell was found dead in a Boynton Beach parking lot earlier this week, and police say surveillance video shows a driver who may hold the answers to how it happened. Boynton Beach police are asking for the public's help identifying the driver of a dark-colored sedan seen on camera in the lot just minutes before the dog was discovered lying motionless on the pavement.
According to cw34.com, police received a report of a dead dog shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at 1500 Southwest 8th Street. An animal cruelty officer responding to the scene found the small white dog with light tan or brown spots in a parking space at the back of the lot, and the officer said the animal appeared to have been run over, per WPEC.
What the Surveillance Footage Shows
Detectives reviewing surveillance footage saw a dark-colored sedan, possibly a Tesla, enter the parking lot around 1:35 p.m. Tuesday. The station's report describes the driver parking the sedan and walking around the back of the car to the passenger side, at which point the dog is seen moving from the passenger side toward the front of the vehicle.
The driver then returned to the driver's seat, and the dog walked back toward the passenger side of the car, according to the same account. The sedan left the lot at about 1:38 p.m., and the dog was then seen lying motionless on the ground where it would later be found by the animal cruelty officer.
Detectives Appeal for Tips
Detectives are asking anyone who saw something suspicious near 1500 Southwest 8th Street on Tuesday, or who recognizes the driver or the dog, to come forward. Tipsters are urged to contact Detective Sala at [email protected] or 561-742-6818. The surveillance footage itself has been posted to the Boynton Beach Police Department's YouTube channel, per the same cw34.com report.
A Recent Local Case Ended in an Arrest
The appeal comes about two months after another Boynton Beach animal cruelty case ended in handcuffs. Police said 52-year-old Juan Latrez Poole was arrested on a felony animal cruelty charge in September after surveillance video and witnesses reportedly showed him harming his black lab, Rex, on two separate dates, according to the Sun Sentinel. Rex was taken to Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control, where he was reported to be looking for a permanent home, the newspaper said.
No arrest has been announced in this week's case, and police have not released the sedan's make, model, or the driver's identity. For now, investigators are relying on the public to help put a name to the face on the video.
