After dog’s owners died, neighbor bagged the pet and put it in trash, Florida cops say

A mysteriously moving trash bag led deputies to discover a dog that had been intentionally bagged like trash and thrown away after the owners died, Florida investigators say.

The dog was alive when found Thursday, Dec. 14, outside a store in Lehigh Acres, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said during a Dec. 18 news conference. Lehigh Acres is about 140 miles southeast of Tampa.

“Employees of a Family Dollar ... found a trash bag inside the dumpster with something moving inside. Stuffed inside the bag, (was) Xyla, a 16-year-old Shih Tzu, with a rope around her neck,” the Lee County Sheriff’s Office reported.

“These heroic employees recognized this to be purposeful abuse and rushed Xyla to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital for evaluation.”

A microchip was found on the dog during treatment, and it showed Xyla’s owners had died, officials said.

However, a surveillance camera provided an important clue when it recorded a man drive behind the Family Dollar and toss “a bundled up trash bag” into the dumpster, officials said.

Within two hours, that SUV had been traced to a neighbor — and relative — of the dog’s owners, officials said.

“Detectives made contact with the (man) ... who happened to be wearing the same clothing as the suspect in the footage,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Detectives learned (the suspect) told his family members that he was taking Xyla to the Humane Society to be put down that day. Instead, he tried to throw her away in the dumpster.”

The 55-year-old was arrested and charged with felony aggravated animal cruelty, Marceno said.

The dog “appears to be in great health,” other than having impaired vision, Marceno said. She will soon be up for adoption through Lee County Domestic Animal Services, he said.

This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 8:02 AM with the headline "After dog’s owners died, neighbor bagged the pet and put it in trash, Florida cops say."