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Neighbor of man arrested in “Beatrice” case says she saw dog & critical evidence
Neighbor of man arrested in "Beatrice" case says she saw dog & critical evidence
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The woman who tipped off police to the man who allegedly stole and then burned Beatrice, a five-year-old mixed-breed dog says she saw Beatrice before she was burned -- and later, she says she saw critical evidence in the case with her own eyes.
The woman lives in the same apartment complex as the man under arrest for the crime. She says it was the man's girlfriend who showed her the evidence.
The woman spoke out in an exclusive interview with FOX6 News -- but she asked that her identity be protected.
"I just saw (Beatrice) a couple of weeks ago, sitting outside of their apartment. He said it followed them home," the woman told FOX6 News.
Beatrice is a chihuahua-terrier mix that was stolen from her backyard on Wells Street and found near Potawatomi Bingo Casino -- burned over 90% of her body.
The woman says soon after seeing the dog, she saw FOX6's story about how Beatrice had been stolen, badly burned and left for dead.
"I was like oh my God! I could not believe that anybody would be that sick to just do that to some little dog for no reason, you know? Poor, helpless little dog," the woman said.
The woman says shortly thereafter, she was approached by her neighbor.
"She asked me if I wanted to come down to see the bathroom where it all happened. I walked in there and I almost puked. There was just burn marks everywhere, all over the bathroom, all over the tub. There was smoke all over the place. Like you could just see it. There was even smoke coming out from underneath the door like maybe where the dog was trying to get out or something," the woman said.
Immediately, the woman contacted Animal Fairy Charities -- the non-profit organization trying to help Beatrice and find the people responsible for the crime.
"We got in contact with the police. I let the police in the day they came in and froze the scene and everything," the woman said.
The woman says her neighbor said her boyfriend is the person who allegedly did this to Beatrice.
"He started asking her to clean out the bath tub while he was in jail," the woman said.
The woman says she's happy police arrived sooner, rather than later.
"She was going to clean up the mess and destroy the evidence. Then the dog would have never gotten any kind of justice for what happened to it. I can`t even begin to tell you how bad I feel for that poor dog. I really do," the woman said.
The 21-year-old man is currently being held in the Waukesha County Jail on unrelated charges. He has been arrested for stealing Beatrice and burning her -- however, he hasn't been charged.
After returning to the vet earlier this week, FOX6 News is told Beatrice would be able to go home on Thursday night, April 17th.
Her recovery is ongoing.