Garbage bag with dead puppies next to mailboxes in Burnet, Texas

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A neighborhood wants answers after someone dumped a bag of dead puppies right next to their community mailbox.

Now the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office announced that the case is under investigation.

“Inside this plastic bag were several decomposed puppies. They were so decomposed that you couldn’t really tell what type of dog they might have been,” said BCSO Support Services Captain Michael Sorenson.

“Hope they didn’t suffer”

Miranda Lowry and her family were the ones who saw the garbage bag.

“The flies were just crazy,” Lowry said. “It was swarming.”

When her family drove into their neighborhood, Lowry said they saw the garbage bag in front of their community mailbox in Burnet.

She said the smell was so strong they knew something was wrong.

“We were just going to look at it and then throw it in our community dumpster that we have about a half mile down the road,” Lowry said. “But at that point I was like, ‘No, let’s not do it.'”

Lowry said she called 911 and the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office arrived.

When she found out what was inside, her heart broke.

Lowry said that unfortunately this is not the first time animals have been abandoned there.

“There were a couple of cats and kittens,” Lowry said. “They were about six months old.”

Her family was able to take one in. Since she has a special heart for animals, this recent discovery left a lasting impression on Lowry.

“Every time I see a garbage bag on the side of the road, I ask myself, ‘Hey, should we check that out?'” Lowry said.

Now she is asking her homeowners association to install cameras near the mailbox to prevent this from happening in the future.

What penalties are there for this?

BCSO said this type of crime carries serious consequences.

Sorenson said it was at least a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by fines and prison time.

In cases like this, it can be difficult to follow leads, so Sorenson is asking anyone with information to contact BCSO at 512-756-8080.