WASHINGTON — Two dogs that went missing from a farm in Charles County over the weekend have been found shot dead.
The two lab mixes, named Benelli and Bear, disappeared on a walk Friday night on Zekiah Farms in Waldorf, Maryland.
Cindy Thorpe owns the dogs and the farm where they were found. She says she found the dogs on separate parts of the property with identical shotgun wounds.
“Right now, all I can imagine is that somebody out there for no reason killed my two dogs. And I have my two children, and I have my other livestock on this property … And now I’m in fear of — are my animals safe? Are my kids safe when they’re out in the fields working?” said Thorpe.
Diane Richardson with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office tells WTOP they don’t have a motive, and neighbors tell investigators they did not hear or see anything unusual.
She says there have been no other similar incidents.
“These were friendly and loving dogs. They play with school children and customer who come visit the farm. They are always around animals and would not hurt any. This was a mean, hateful, and senseless crime. Please help us find who would do this to loving animals,” Thorpe wrote on the Zekiah Farms Facebook page on Monday.
Anyone with information about what happened to the dogs is asked to call Charles County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case, and when you call you can remain anonymous.
