Officials continue search for person who tied, burned dog to death

DAYTON — Humane Society of Greater Dayton investigators are still searching for answers more than a week after a dog was tied up and burned to death in the 1000 block of Kammer Avenue.

There’s been no leads in the case, and now a $1,500 reward is being offered for information leading the arrest of the person responsible for the crime, which was reported on March 19.

Mark Kumpf, director of the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center, which is working with the Humane Society in the case, said when he hears about cases like this, past abuse or dog fighting are the first things that come to mind.

“All of those are things that can be done to destroy evidence after the fact. Unfortunately, it also sometimes leads to even worse suffering for the animal," he said.

Cases like the burned dog aren’t especially common, Kumpf said, but he sees animal cases daily. The same goes for the humane society, which investigated 431 cases of cruelty or neglect last year.

The organization also rescued 61 injured animals and removed 47 from dangerous situation, officials said.

Despite attempts to destroy evidence, forensics examination can provide answers, and new animal protection laws could crack now even more on offenders, Kumpf said.

"These folks could be facing penitentiary time, potentially years in jail and some significant fines, it's not just a misdemeanor anymore," he said.