3 dead dogs found in abandoned U-Haul van in Mattapan – NBC Boston

Three dead dogs were found in an abandoned U-Haul truck in Boston’s Mattapan neighborhood on Tuesday evening, Boston police said Wednesday, asking for help in investigating the incident.

A person called 911 just before 9 p.m. to report the dogs in the van parked on Edgewater Drive near Topalian Street, a police report said. The caller said the van had been parked at that location for some time and was giving off a horrible odor.

When officers arrived and unlocked the van, they confirmed the foul odor and found insects flying around inside, the report said. They saw a dead dog in a crate – eventually the bloated bodies of three dogs, two females and one male, were recovered from the vehicle.

Witnesses told investigators the dogs had been alive in recent days, including on July 4, when barking was heard from the vehicle while fireworks were being set off in the area. A witness also said he saw two people with cleaning supplies at the van on Monday morning and that officers spotted a bottle of bleach on the sidewalk nearby, according to the report.

The U-Haul, which contained a bag of dog food, had not been reported stolen, but officers could not determine where the vehicle had been rented, the report said. Witnesses also said they saw the vehicle driving around the area.

The report did not mention what the dogs are believed to have died from, but temperatures in Boston reached over 30 degrees Celsius earlier in the week.

Anyone with information about the dogs’ deaths is asked to contact investigators by calling 617-343-5607 or contact Boston Police anonymously by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting “TIP” to 27463 (which is CRIME).