Dead Dog Found In Oven: Ex-Boyfriend Named 'Person Of Interest' In Burglary Investigation

Police in Illinois say that the ex-boyfriend of an Arlington Heights woman who returned from vacation to find her home burglarized and pet dog dead in the oven is now is a “person of interest” in the investigation.

Authorities first interviewed the ex-boyfriend, 29, on July 5, one day after the woman and her two children made the gruesome discovery. The woman thought someone had stolen the dog -- a Cavachon named Coco -- only to have her 9-year-old daughter encounter the family pet inside the oven.

Police released the ex-boyfriend on July 7 after investigators determined that there was insufficient evidence to file charges against him, Police Sgt. Rick Kappelman said Friday, according to the Daily Herald.

The woman also reported approximately $3,000 worth of jewelry stolen.

Police believe the incident occurred sometime between about 11 p.m. on July 3 and early July 4, according to CBS Chicago.

As of Friday there were no other suspects in the case.

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Comments

[splenetic]

01:30 PM on 07/18/2012

No eye-for-an-eye comment like some of the other comments, but whoever did this, is truly heinous, almost Floridaesque.

[lisaman]

01:45 PM on 07/17/2012

If they were on vacation why was the dog at home?

[egs1217]

07:41 PM on 07/17/2012

@lisaman--it doesn't say how long they were gone--vacations can be as short as 3-4 days, and MANY experts suggest the dog remain IN the house with a sitter coming in. OUR older dog far prefers to be in her own home with the rest of our pets rather than be boarded...especially since she needs meds and our sitter is a qualified vet tech who comes in to walk her, give her meds, feed and change water and do everything else necessary. Then our ever-vigilant neighbour fills the gaps with extra walking and taking the dog out while watching the house. It's the animal's comfort zone. A lot of dogs do not enjoy boarding. Why ask obviously pointed comments about something which is really none of your concern?

[lisaman]

10:51 AM on 07/18/2012

What in the heck crawled up your bu tt?  It was a legitimate question.  I would never in a million years even consider leaving my dog home alone.  I also would never put him in a kennel, he goes where I go.  All you had to do was reply in a civilized manner about the situation with your dog, I may not have agreed but that is what civilized people do, they discuss, sometimes they agree and other times they don't but they don't attack others with comments like the one you ended yours with, well maybe if they are still in high school.

[thisoldbroad]

11:05 PM on 07/17/2012

I'm wondering the same thing.

[stayingsaneinthemadness]

08:10 AM on 07/17/2012

That poor kid. Having to find her dog like that. Devistating. I hope they find out for sure who did this and this little girl gets to see that person brought to justice. If it was the ex, he knew children would be affected terribly by this sickening crime and he did it any way. He is definitely a great danger to this family and I hope Mom has somewhere safe to go with her kids until this creep can be arrested.

[Gay LeAnn Cihlar]

11:55 PM on 07/16/2012

Oh and to the people asking how people know that this little girl is upset and how do they know if this kid even liked the dog.. REALLY?? I'm 24 and even if I didn't like a pet, finding the family animal dead and cooked in the oven would torture me. She's 9 years old, what 9 year old, better yet what human could possibly be okay after finding any animal like that..
I will say though, that everyone does have their right to state their opinion, even if others don't agree. That is why it's their opinion. I don't agree with a lot that has been said on here but that doesn't give me the right to go telling others that they are wrong and throw names out there.. Though I do admit there are quite a few on here that really need to pay more attention to what they are reading and get facts straight before running their mouth especially running their mouth about others comments. Ignorance is bliss.
Guess the best we can do is wait for a follow up on the case to find out what really happened.
Sorry I wrote to much, but I wasn't willing to redo it.

[egs1217]

07:53 PM on 07/17/2012

@Gay LeAnn--you're correct. I cannot take my 'getting on in years' dog on vacation because her medical problems preclude plane travel and I wouldn't subject ANY dog to a plane anyway. She stays in her air-conditioned home being looked after by a paid sitter as well as a neighbour who's a friend and who loves her. This works. The rare times a trip is going to be long and she has required boarding have not been happy occasions for her. My life revolves around my animals --I rarely get to go away and take every precaution the once or twice every few years when 'vacation' opportunity comes up. To have someone murder one of my pets would be so devastating --as awful as any other member of my family: those who don't love their companion animals simply don't grasp how bad this is. This horrendous act was done SOLELY to terrorize and to punish this woman and child--to 'pay them back', and the police know it, or should. The people who work rescuing animals see this kind of thing daily--they're the heroes who keep trying to bring attention to the kind of mind which would do this kind of thing--only the lowest form of human garbage.

[cafebeege]

10:18 PM on 07/17/2012

egs....."human garbage" is right. This is a REAL psychopath. Only an evil mind could do such an evil thing. And this "person" knew when these people would be away and what was going on in their lives. Oh, THIS would be worth some wealthy animal lover to hire a detective to GET this monster for ANY criminal charges they can. Don't know what the law allows in Illinois for animal cruelty, but get him for ALL and ANYTHING possible. Stuff like this makes it worthwhile to force a monster like this to hire a lawyer, or go through a trial of any kind just to put him through some he-- like he's done to others.

[Gay LeAnn Cihlar]

11:54 PM on 07/16/2012

The ex-boyfriend is a suspect for obvious reasons stated in the article.. The woman had an order of protection on him for harrassment, he was out on bond from a previous domestic charge and he got arrested July 4th for violating that order by texting, calling and emailing the woman several times.
Seems to me that for the most part, every story I've read where it includes an animal being killed has generally been someone close to the person. In this situation the ex seems to be the best candidate. Possibly heartbroken and out to hurt. Now, I'm not saying that yes it was him but really... It looks that way. But to all we know one of the neighbers could have easily done the job themselves. They had access into the home and to her jewelry.Maybe they knew about the ex and the problems with him and figured they'd get away with the job because they'd look at the ex. Why they would kill the dog who knows.. Or maybe it was just a random act of burglary and the dog got in the way. Who knows, except the person who did it.

[Amyqotd]

09:37 PM on 07/16/2012

ugh how awful. that sicko needs to pay.

[Keri Miyadi]

06:45 PM on 07/16/2012

Wow, I actually am hoping the dog was dead before it was put in the oven... now that's sick.

[Jessica Holiday]

06:01 PM on 07/16/2012

A random burglar wouldn't put the dog in the oven, that's a malicious act of revenge. Its someone who wanted to hurt the family.

An Ex seems exactly in line with the type of person who would have committed the crime.

[Wendy Stewart]

03:31 PM on 07/16/2012

Let us put his sorry behind in an oven. Despicable crime.

[cobraxus]

02:55 PM on 07/16/2012

my personal favourites are the ones who get dumped for cheating then obsessively stalk their ex.although this guy comes close.kill the family dog and stick it in the oven.what next...run over her kids on their way to school?

[jadeaic]

02:51 PM on 07/16/2012

The guy knew she had kids. Why would he purposely leave the dog where the kids can see it??? Bad enough he killed the dog, but he ruined those kids' as well. Lock him up and throw away the key.

[nevaehs mama]

11:56 AM on 07/16/2012

thats pretty derranged..poor dog.

that little girl will be traumatized for the rest of her life now.

[anishinabe65]

11:06 AM on 07/16/2012

I am an humane society volunteer for over 12 years. I cannot tell all of you how many cases we have investigated where the ex spouse tortures or maims a pet for retaliation.. Boyfriend certainly deserves further scrutiny.

[Jordan Kratz]

09:30 AM on 07/16/2012

Catch and Convict the schmuck who did this.Suspect needs to be put into an oven like what was done to that wonderful dog.

[mwelchRMI]

09:27 AM on 07/16/2012

whether it was her ex, or a random burglar, Why take it out on the dog?

[georgiegirl]

10:02 AM on 07/16/2012

How many times have you heard of a random burglar putting a dog in an oven to kill? Nope, it was the ex-boyfriend....someone needs to have a 'chat' with him.

[mwelchRMI]

10:40 AM on 07/16/2012

yea that's messed up, the dog didn't break your heart dude.

[Dr JohnS]

06:01 PM on 07/16/2012

My guess was it was a bothersome little mutt that would not stop yelping. You have seen the type. Gosh I have thought of kicking them across town myself, just imagine how the burglar felt.

[mwelchRMI]

08:59 AM on 07/17/2012

nah, I could never do that to a dog, no matter how irritating