Investigation Underway After Kansas Police Officer's Puppy Killed, Dumped In Backyard

Police in Parsons, Kansas are investigating after someone chopped off the head of an officer’s puppy and left the remains in the officer’s yard.

The department believes this was a targeted attack on law enforcement and is offering a $4,000 reward for information leading to arrests. Chief Robert Spinks is calling it a crime of cruelty. He said 'Ranger' was let outside early Friday morning. That afternoon, Ranger's owner found her puppy lying in her yard with its head severed. 

Chief Spinks said his department puts up with a lot but mutilating a law enforcement officer's 3-month-old puppy goes too far. 

"Deep dark evil heinous despicable those would be the very first things that come to mind,” said Spinks. 

Chief Spinks said this type of crime often leads to more serious ones. 

"A much higher propensity to being engaged in domestic violence, Homicide and certainly could pose danger to a young child," said Spinks. 

The officer parked her patrol car in front of her house Friday after working the overnight shift. She let Ranger out in her fenced back yard around 7 and around 2, discovered the remains of her pure-bred black German Shepard puppy. 

"I have two rescue dogs and to put myself in that position would be devastating," said Spinks 

Police determined Ranger's head was cut off somewhere else, then someone returned the puppy’s body back to the officer’s yard.   

"We surmise that's the reason or part of the reason for the decapitation so there'd be evidence of a bullet," said Spinks. 

Spinks said a person who lives in this neighborhood shot a dog named Zeus in March. 

“We were able to make an arrest in that case on felony charges. He was just recently adjudicated. It was pled down to a misdemeanor, $3,000 fine and a year of unsupervised probation,” said Spinks. 

Just last month, another dog named Blue was shot and killed in the same neighborhood. Spinks said the person who shot Zeus is a person of interest in the killings of Blue and Ranger. He said they have more than one person of interest in the killing of Ranger. 

Spinks said the department’s $1000 reward has grown to $4,000 thanks to donations from the community. 

"The larger that reward is the easier it may be to loosen tongues in the community,” said Spinks.