LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Dozens of tips are streaming into Las Vegas police as the community tries to figure out what happened to Reba the dog.
Hundreds are people are demanding justice for her after she was found inside of a tote bin next to a dumpster.
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The tote bin had been taped shut in the Las Vegas heat. Reba sadly passed away over the weekend, but a valley rescue group is confident she’ll get the justice she deserves.
After surveying the area where the dog was found, FOX5 could not find a single camera outside of the AutoZone where we’re told the dog was taken and hosed off after being discovered in the taped-up tote bin.
However, FOX5 has learned from members of the Vegas Pet Rescue Project that Metro is investigating, specifically looking at all of the video cameras in and around the area to see if they can find anybody carrying a bin or acting suspicious.
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Metro adds its Animal Cruelty Detail is working tirelessly with community partners to make sure animals around the valley are protected. Clark County Animal Protection Services is also helping with the investigation.
Both organizations are remaining tight-lipped about this because it’s an ongoing investigation.
Reba the dog, named after Reba McEntire by pet rescue volunteers, was discovered near the dumpster behind the Von’s on East Twain and Maryland Parkway.
There were cameras outside of the grocery store, but they did not let FOX5 see the footage.
Despite hours of veterinarians working to save Reba, she didn’t make it after complications of heat stroke.
Reba did not have a microchip, and was not wearing a collar. But she was well-groomed, and had a fresh nail trim. That stood out to Megan Tomlinson with the Vegas Pet Rescue Project.
”She looked cared for. So somebody did this not because she was sick, not because she was old or the millions of reasons that people give for abandoning their animals. They just did this out of evilness and cruelty and spite,” Tomlinson said.
As for justice, Tomlinson is hoping for the best while calling out Nevada’s lackluster animal protection laws.
The state ranks 30th in terms of protections offered to animals, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Punishments for animal cruelty range from misdemeanors to felonies, to fines and jail time.
Typically, hurting or killing an animal in Nevada will land you in prison for one to four years.
The Vegas Pet Rescue Project is offering $21,500 to help find the person who did this to Reba.
Despite the reward and potential closure, Tomlinson worries what will happen next if these suspects don’t face harsher penalties.
“You can be charged with a misdemeanor for animal abuse. And that’s to me is, is crazy,” Tomlinson said. “I mean, they say serial killers start by abusing animals. So we need to get on this and we need to make sure that these people are being prosecuted, and that the community at large knows that we treat our animals with respect.”
Metro is asking anyone with information on the case to contact its Animal Cruelty Detail by phone at 702-828-2907 or by calling Crime Stoppers and remaining anonymous at 702-385-5555.
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