Expand / Collapse search
☰

Indiana prosecutor requests investigation into heat exhaustion deaths of 8 dogs in box truck

By
Updated  September 1, 2023 9:33pm CDT
Lake County
FOX 32 Chicago

Indiana prosecutor requests investigation into heat deaths of 8 dogs

The Lake County prosecutor has requested Indiana State Police open an investigation into the heat exhaustion deaths of eight canines being transported in a box truck from O’Hare Airport to Michigan on the night of July 27th.

LAKE COUNTY, Ind. - The Lake County prosecutor has requested Indiana State Police open an investigation into the heat exhaustion deaths of eight canines being transported in a box truck from O’Hare Airport to Michigan on the night of July 27th.

After sending letters demanding action and staging protests, Rachel Bellis, the Associate Director of the Cruelty Investigations Department at PETA, hails the decision.

"Nothing will bring back the dogs who baked to death in a hot truck, but we think that this is a step in the right direction to ensure that those who are responsible for the dogs suffering and deaths are brought to justice," Bellis said.

At issue that night, why the truck driver representing a dog training company in Michigan reportedly known as F-M-K-9 was allegedly allowed by Lake Station Police to refuse help from Hobart Humane Society workers who were quick on the scene and desperate to provide first aid to the suffering animals.

"They had vehicles that had air conditioning and wanted to help, and they were denied that, and it seems like the police just let the gentleman leave with the live and dead dogs," Bellis said.

The Lake Station Police Department has been largely quiet in the weeks since the tragedy and now, investigators are seeking any information as to what happened that night.

"If anybody saw anything that night on July 27th in Lake Station at the Road Ranger Truck Stop, whether it be any kind of cellphone video information, if they witnessed anything, if they saw anything taking place, our Detective Chris Eagles would like to talk to you," said Indiana State Police Sergeant Glenn Fifield.

As for PETA, the investigation is not only a call for justice for the animals who perished in the sweltering heat, it’s also a cautionary tale.

"If somebody is going to be transporting live animals in a truck in any kind of vehicle, they need to make sure that the air conditioning is working throughout the entire vehicle," Bellis said.