Kent woman says beloved dog was strangled, skinned in backyard



KENT, Wash. -- Lori Murray's Kent property is a magical place.  “This is tranquility.  This is like our little bit of paradise,” says Murray.

And if there's anything she loves more than the breathtaking view of Mount Rainier, it's her dogs -- Harley, Beast, Whiskey and Lizzy.

But on March 19, Lori found 11-year-old Lizzy dead along the water.

“Her head and legs and tail looked clean. The rest of her body had been cleanly skinned and she had two stab wounds,” says Lori.

Lori called Kent Police, who tell us their initial report determined a coyote or another dog may have killed Lizzy.  But Lori's gut told her something much more sinister happened here.

Lori says she paid $400 to have a local vet perform a necropsy.

“Her cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation and all of her injuries, the stab wounds, the skinning, were all postmortem,” says Murray.

While Kent Police continue their investigation, Lori is keeping closer watch on Harley, Beast and Whiskey.  And she's warning her neighbors to do the same.

“I don't want her death to be in vain. I want who did this to pay for it,” says Murrary.

Now her little slice of heaven, is a memorial for her little angel.

“This is where she is and she'll always be here.  I never want to leave because that would be leaving her,” says Murray.

Kent Police say they are investigating the matter.

Murray will be posting fliers in her neighborhood.  She’s also working to raise reward money for anyone who has information that leads to an arrest.