PETERSBURG, Va. -- Volunteers cleaning up the Willcox Watershed Conservancy on Saturday made a disturbing discovery that has both Petersburg Police and animal control on high alert. The volunteers found the remains of at least three dogs.
"[The volunteer] found a blanket and it had dog bones in it and then he found another, a plastic bag or something and it had a dead animal carcass in it," Dr. Kenneth Lewis, with the Willcox Watershed Conservancy, said. "It was disturbing."
Petersburg Police Captain Emanuel Chambliss said the remains had deteriorated to the point where the dogs' breed could not be identified.
"No indication on how long the canines have been here based on their condition," he said.
While there were no tags to identify the owners, a blue collar was found with the remains.
"It's depressing because you found it but it's even more depressing that a human being would do that to an animal," Willcox said.
While police and animal control would like to find the person who dumped the animal remains at Willcox Lake, they are also concerned about another illegal activity taking place within sight of the lake -- the dumping of live dogs.
It's a consistent problem for animal control, made worse by the fact that dogs could be dropped off legally less than a mile away at the animal control office.
The illegal dumping of animals is a misdemeanor.
