One day after an Armstrong County woman was charged with theft after police say she failed to return a dog she was pet sitting for a Trafford family, the animal was found dead near railroad tracks in Braddock.
Eva Hodgdon, owner of the 1-year-old German shepherd named Nani Nyx, said Trafford police brought Nani’s collar and tag to her home around midnight Wednesday. Investigations to determine the dog’s cause of death are ongoing.
“At this point, we don’t know what happened,” Hodgdon told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. “It was not natural cause of death … Nobody had been there to investigate by the time I got the call, but it didn’t sound good.”
Hodgdon said her family plans to have some kind of memorial piece made to commemorate Nani.
“Even though (we had her) a short time … she was the sweetest, best dog that there ever was, and so I think she’ll live with us forever,” Hodgdon told WPXI.
Despite the pain she and her family has experienced, Hodgdon said she is appreciative of the support from the community.
“It’s been overwhelming in the best type of way,” Hodgdon told WPXI. “In a moment where it’s hard to see the good in humanity … it’s continuing to give me strength today on such an awful day.”
Molly Bureau, 29, of Cadogan, was charged with two counts of theft in a criminal complaint filed by Trafford police July 14. She was arrested Tuesday.
According to court papers, Bureau picked up the dog from Hodgdon’s Trafford residence at 8:30 p.m. July 1. She was to return the dog to Hodgdon sometime between 5 and 6 p.m. July 4 at Trafford Manor on Brinton Avenue, which Bureau claimed was her residence.
Related:
• Armstrong County woman accused of stealing Trafford family’s dog
• Woman arrested, charged with theft of Trafford family’s dog
Bureau did not respond to text messages from Hodgdon prior to the arranged pickup time, was not at the location and did not respond to Hodgdon’s attempts to contact her, police said.
Bureau is being held on $10,000 bail in the Westmoreland County Prison. She did not have an attorney listed in online court records. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 26.
Braddock and Trafford police departments could not be reached for comment.
