Florida Man Allegedly Decapitated Newly Adopted Dog, Dumped Corpse in Park, Police Say

A Florida man was arrested this week after a dog he adopted just days earlier was found decapitated and wrapped in a plastic bag in a park, authorities said.

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said deputies responded to a report of a deceased dog wrapped in a plastic bag in the area of East Beach at Fort Desoto Park, south of St. Petersburg on Mullet Key, at around 6:45 p.m. on May 14.

Deputies arrived to find "a male bulldog mix with its head decapitated, floating in the mangroves."

The dog was implanted with a microchip, which was scanned by Pinellas County Animal Services, revealing him to be a 4-year-old named Dexter.

The dog had been adopted from Pinellas County Animal Services just days earlier, on May 10, by 66-year-old Domingo R. Rodriguez.

Deputies visited Rodriguez's residence, where he admitted adopting Dexter and said he must have run away overnight on May 10.

Rodriguez allegedly also admitted to traveling to Fort Desoto Park on May 11, however, and gave investigators "several inconsistent statements," authorities said.

Rodriguez was arrested and charged with one count of animal cruelty and one count of disposal of bodies of dead animals.

Never miss a story — sign up for the Front Page Detectives newsletter. Be on the scene the moment news breaks.

The sheriff's office said the investigation is ongoing.

TMX contributed to this report.