A $20,000 reward was issued Wednesday for information leading to the capture and conviction of those responsible for two severed dog heads found in a trash bin in South Los Angeles last week.
"This is one of the most heinous crimes against animals in my lifetime," said Councilman Paul Koretz.
The reward includes $10,000 from the city and $2,500 each from the Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Best Friends Animal Society. Koretz has also pledged $2,500.
Koretz, who chairs the City Council Personnel and Animal Welfare Committee, announced the reward Wednesday morning alongside Councilwoman Jan Perry.
"We thought that our offer, to help increase the reward, would incentivize someone to come forward to help with the apprehension and conviction of whoever is responsible of this terrible crime," said Elizabeth Oreck, spokeswoman for Best Friends Animal Society.
Police have been looking for the culprit or culprits responsible since March 20, when a man looking for recyclables behind a CVS store at the intersection of West Slauson and South Vermont avenues discovered the severed heads of a chocolate Labrador Retriever mix and a tan German Shepard.
"People are paying attention to this case because it's so strange and so there is so much mystery surrounding it," Oreck said. "Two cleanly severed heads, not dog-fighting dogs, obviously these were someone's pets."
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Keeping a possible violent and unstable person off the streets, in addition to the obvious animal cruelty, was what motivated Koretz to spearhead the reward, he said.
"Somebody who is that unbalanced is a real threat to the community. It may not be just dogs that they can do this to," Oreck said.
The bodies belonging to the dogs have not been found, nor has anyone come forward claiming to have missing pets that match the dogs' descriptions.
The case is under investigation and police are reviewing cameras that were in the area.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the LAPD Animal Cruelty Task Force at 213-486-0450.
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