Reward Now Up to $9,000 in Phoenix Dog-Burning Case

For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2024

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Phoenix – PETA is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction on cruelty charges of the person(s) responsible for burning an elderly dog to death on the morning of March 5. The 16-year-old pit bull–mastiff mix, Duke, was reportedly asleep in his backyard near S. 27^th Avenue and W. Van Buren Street when the assailant(s) poured gasoline on him and set him on fire. Due to the severity of his injuries, Duke was euthanized. With funds reportedly raised by other groups, including Silent Witness, an Arizona-based program that shares information about unsolved felony cases, the total reward offered in this case is now up to $9,000.

Duke, 16, was reportedly lit on fire while asleep in the backyard of his home in Phoenix. Credit: Silent Witness

No leads or suspects have been identified, so PETA is asking for the public’s help. Please share this information; it may be the only way to find the person(s) responsible.

“The agony and terror that Duke must have endured as he was burned alive in his backyard are unimaginable,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA asks anyone with information to come forward immediately before the individual responsible hurts or kills someone else.”

Anyone with information related to the case should call Silent Witness at 480-948-6377 (480-WITNESS) for English or 480-837-8446 (480-TESTIGO) for Spanish or submit a tip online at silentwitness.org.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.