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Crime News Breaking News

Disabled Dog Who Was Inside Owner’s Car When It Was Stolen Found Dead

Zorra, a 13-year-old disabled dog, was resting in the backseat of her owner’s car when the vehicle was stolen last week.

By Sharon Lynn Pruitt

The search for a missing, disabled dog came to a tragic end this week, with a local animal rescue group reporting that the beloved pet was found dead.

Zorra, a disabled shepherd-husky mix, was stolen on Oct. 3; her owner, South Florida resident Wanda Ferrari, left the dog to rest in the back seat of her car while she went into a Dollar Tree store, according to CBS Miami. When she came back out, her car — and her pet — were gone.

Authorities, as well as a pet detective, launched an investigation into the dog’s disappearance, and that search found its sad conclusion when Ferrari’s car was located with Zorra dead inside. A Facebook group for an organization called “100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida” that joined in on the search early on alerted followers on Monday that they’d received news about Zorra’s death.

“It’s not good. They won’t tell us anything other than, ‘Zorra is deceased,’” said a woman identified by Fox News as Amy Roman, the founder of the group. “Zorra is gone, she is dead. I hope that they find this piece of sh—t and he pays for what he did.”

The Broward County Sheriff's Office told Fox News that they received a report from a towing company on Monday regarding a blue 2005 Volvo that had been stolen. Police said that deputies who responded to the call located a dead dog in the vehicle’s backseat, according to the outlet.

The office is still investigating the theft of the car, as well as the dog’s death, as they await the results of a necropsy, according to a statement obtained by Fox News. No arrests have been made in the case.

Zorra Dog Ap

Because her hind legs were paralyzed and her front legs also did not work, Zorra used a pink wheelchair to get around, according to CBS Miami. Soon after the dog’s disappearance, Roman hired a pet detective to search for the animal, and her animal rights group offered a $3,000 reward for Zorra’s safe return, CBS Miami previously reported.

Speaking to WPLG Local 10 News, Ferarri mourned the loss of her pet, who’d been with her for 13 years and stayed by her side during her recurring battle with cancer.

“I really needed Zorra to go through this bout of cancer with me,” she said. “She’d been through the last one with me, but they said they were doing everything that they possibly could and would continue to do what they definitely could do to make sure this person comes to justice.”

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