Two dogs executed, left in RW cemetery

WINNSBORO – Two young adult pit bull dogs, a male and a female, were discovered dead – each shot in the back of the head – and left in the Antioch Cemetery on Antioch Cemetery Rd. in Ridgeway.

The discovery was made on Friday, Feb. 28, when a man and his dog stopped by the cemetery to visit a grave. His dog found the bodies of the two dead dogs.

The call came in to the Fairfield Animal Control office about 4:30 in the afternoon, and an animal control officer went to the cemetery.

The incident report stated that there was no evidence that the dogs had been shot on site, that they may have been shot and killed elsewhere, then dumped at the cemetery.

A necropsy report stated that the female dog was brown and weighed 56 pounds. She had been shot at least twice in the back of the head, the report stated. She was wearing a wide blue nylon collar that appeared to be fairly new. A handgun bullet was recovered from the female dog’s head wound.

The male dog was a gray brindle with a white chest, and weighed 65 pounds. It had been shot once in the back of the head. A retractable leash was still attached around the male dog’s neck (with no collar), and the handle part of the leash was laying on the dog’s body.

Both dogs were of “adequate nutritional status, with adequate body fat stores,” the attending veterinarian stated.

Both dogs, according to the veterinarian’s report, had good body weight and no bite marks or other injuries. They both still had food in their stomachs from their last meal and some food was partially digested in their intestines, the necropsy report stated.

“We don’t know who they belonged to or anything about them,” Fairfield County Animal Control Director Bob Innes said. “The vet report said they were both very healthy with good musculature and appeared to be well taken care of. They didn’t appear to be fighting dogs. There were no other wounds so we assume they were not bait dogs. We don’t know why they were shot,” Innes said. “If there are cases where people no longer want their dogs, we want them to know they can bring them here. We’ll take them.”

Innes is asking anyone with information about the dogs and who shot them to contact the Animal Shelter at 803-815-0805.

Innes said he wants to know what happened and to see those responsible for the dogs’ deaths brought to justice.               

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