PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A disturbing case of animal cruelty that started as a stolen dog in Phoenix in 2023 ended this month on the other side of the country. Now, police in Alabama are asking for your help to track down the puppy’s killer.
“He was so full of charisma. He loved car rides,” said Aubrey Garcia. She never gave up hope she’d be reunited with her puppy, Kiyo. “I would have done anything for any amount of time with him.”
She never imagined it would be like this.
“He is deceased, and he was found tied to a pole with his mouth bound,” she said, recalling what police in Alabama told her. “It’s our worst possible nightmare.”
He was just 3 months old when he was taken in August 2023 after he got loose from her backyard near 35th Avenue and Vineyard Road, just north of Baseline in Laveen.
“I would do literally anything to go back to that day to check that gate and not be in a rush,” she said.
She filed a police report, offered a reward for his safe return, and posted fliers on social media and mailboxes. Despite witnesses to the abduction and Kiyo’s microchip, nothing ever brought her Australian Shepherd home.
“We followed probably 50 active leads and possible sightings,” said Garcia. But then last week, she got a call from a city she’d never heard of, several states away.
“Where did you say your guys’ police department was? ‘We’re in Loxley, Alabama. We’re just east of Mobile,’” she recalls from the phone call.
It turns out that nearly two years later, Kiyo was almost 1,700 miles away in that small town. Her pet was found dead along a county road in circumstances detectives call suspicious and disturbing.
“They started to go into more details, and it was so overwhelming that I just remember sitting on the floor,” she said through tears.
Investigators believe a dark-colored four-door sedan, possibly a Hyundai, could be connected to the animal cruelty case. Garcia believes whoever snatched him in Arizona kept him all this time. She’s pleading for anyone with any information that can help police find the abuser to come forward.
“If they can do it to one, they can do it to more. This kind of a person does not belong on the streets at all and they deserve the maximum punishment,” said Garcia.
The Loxley Police Department confirmed they are combing through forensic evidence. If you have a tip that could lead to a suspect, call 251-964-6000 and ask for Investigator Cantrell or Officer Hardy.
