Missing Dog Was Decapitated by Train: SPCA

The SPCA discovered the second half of the severed body of a Husky dog that was left on a Philadelphia porch Monday.

The body parts were found along side the railroad tracks at Bustleton and Haldeman Avenues, officials announced Thursday.

“It is believed that the dog was either deceased or unconscious at the time it was placed upon the tracks to be struck by the train,” according to the Pennsylvania SPCA.

Authorities were hoping that someone may have seen a person or persons transporting the dog's body to or from the tracks between Saturday night and Monday morning.

The upper half of the dog's body was discovered by Sherri Verdon on the back porch of her Somerton-section home Monday afternoon.

"It’s just frightening, it’s creepy," she said.

It also devastated the owners of three-year-old Chico.

"Why my dog, why," said an emotional Gabriella Ovadia.

Chico disappeared from the Ovadia's family home -- which isn't close to Verdon's home -- over the weekend. On Monday the family identified their beloved pet dog at the SPCA.

"It was horrible -- the mutilation," Ovadia said.

"The dog was literally cut in half," Pennsylvania SPCA spokesman George Bengal said.

The horrific image of a severed dog was also something Verdon couldn’t get out of her mind.

"I just became hysterical crying," she said about the gruesome discovery. "It was just very disturbing."

Verdon says that the same man who vandalized her home nearly a half-dozen times recently could also be responsible for this gruesome act of animal cruelty.

The SPCA confirmed Tuesday that they questioned a person of interest but it wasn't clear if it's the same man. They were also hunting for a second person who could possibly be responsible for killing and dumping Chico, according to the SPCA.

The reward fund for information leading to Chico's killing was up to $4,000. Anyone with information should contact the PSPCA website or call their anti-cruelty hotline at 866.601.SPCA (7722)..


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