Pit Bull Found Dead In Weighted Backpack At North Carolina Pier

An ’emaciated’ female pit bull has been found dead at a North Carolina fishing pier in a backpack, causing an investigation to be launched.

According to a statement released on Facebook by the Sunset Beach Police Department, a man was magnet fishing on Sunday around 5 PM when he found the bag and pulled it from the water.

The police report that the dog was stuffed into the bag and that it had dumbbells inside to weigh it down.

Officials reported the black and brown dog “appeared to have been in the water for no more than a day or two.”

“Yesterday, our officers responded to a call at the NC Wildlife Boat Ramp in which a subject, who was magnet fishing on the fishing pier, pulled a backpack out of the waterway,” police said.

Police also shared a picture of the backpack.

Not much is known about the dog but the SBPD said they “gave the dog a proper burial on town property.”

The man who found the dog, Kegan H. Babb, has also come forward and praised the police department for how “seriously they have taken this matter.”

“I’m the one who found this pupper, and I’m so happy and proud of the Sunset Beach Police Department and how seriously they have taken this matter. Thank you so much for going above and beyond to help get justice for this puppy. The officer that came out and the marine patrol both was very respectful and took the matter seriously. Thank you,” Babb wrote in the comments of the Facebook post.

The community has been shaken by the dog’s death.

“This is absolutely horrible. There is a wonderful shelter, APS, in Supply that an unwanted dog/cat can be taken to and rehomed. This never should have happened,” resident Debbie Susan-Krusius wrote on Facebook.

“There is absolutely no excuse for this here or anywhere else. It’s sad that some people have no compassion for any living thing. I hope that the one (ones) responsible for this act are dealt with to the fullest extent of the law. Thankful for the one who found and alerted the authorities and for our law enforcement,” resident Shannon Phillips commented.

If you have any information on the incident, you can report it to SBPD at 910-579-2151.