Connecticut woman's dogs shot, beheaded, skinned
CONNECTICUT - Erin Caviola says she still can't bear to part with the large metal dog bowls that sit in her kitchen.
The bowls belonged to her two 10-year-old German Shepherds, Cimo and Lieben. The dogs, who lived in Ridgefield, Connecticut went missing in November and Caviola says she believes they were shot dead, beheaded, and skinned by a hunter from Putnam County.
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On that fateful morning, Caviola had noticed that, when she let her dogs out to use the bathroom, they found part of the fence that encircles her property had been pulled down.
Officers with the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection said they believe a bear had caused the damage, and Erin believes that her dogs jumped over the fence and escaped.
A section of the fence Erin Caviola's dogs allegedly escaped over before they were shot, beheaded and skinned by a hunter.
Erin and her family went searching for the beloved pets for weeks, getting the whole community involved. But after nearly a month of fruitless searching, a Good Samaritan contacted Caviola and send them a photo of what appeared to be the two dogs' bodies.
"The pictures that we got was them posed on the ground, laying there, and you could clearly see that they both had been shot in the chest," Caviola told FOX 5 NY.
Cimo and Lieben, the two German Shepherds that were shot and killed by a hunter in Connecticut.
The Department of Energy & Environmental Protection took over the case from the police and arrested Mike Konschak. It is still unclear what the hunter was hunting for.
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FOX 5 NY reached out to the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, but the agency declined to comment.
For Caviola, all she says she wants is justice and closure.
Cimo and Lieben, the two German Shepherds that were shot and killed by a hunter in Connecticut.
"When you put an animal to sleep, you can comfort them," Caviola said. "This was a little different. It's the act of them being shot and killed but the act of what happened to them after is very concerning to us."
Caviola has begun a Change.org petition to have Konschak's hunting license revoked and for him to face animal cruelty charges. So far, Caviola says Konschak has been charged with forgery, evidence tampering, and violations of hunting regulations. He is due in court on Wednesday morning for a hearing.
As for Caviola and her family, all they have are a few remains from Cimo and Lieben buried in their backyard, along with memories of the two best dogs they ever owned.
"We were hoping to have many more memories from them," Caviola said.