Police are searching for a man who severed the tail and feet of a dog and burned its body with a blowtorch.

  (Photo courtesy of Capital News 9)  A neighbor walking near 82 Prospect St. found the mixed breed pitbull's body wrapped in plastic and rags.

A necropsy will be conducted to determine if the dog was alive while it was mutilated.  The suspect fled the scene before he could be interviewed but has been identified.  Police are hoping he will turn himself in.

The suspect told neighbors conflicting stories about what happened to the dog.  The suspect had said he had given away the dog, that it ran away and that he had given it back to its original owner because it was sick.  The suspect also had a chihuahua that vanished earlier this year.

Neighbors said the suspect had walked the dog every day until 2 weeks ago, when the dog disappeared.  The suspect was among the people on the block who complained about the smell coming from 82 Prospect St.

This is the not incident of animal torture deaths in the area.  2 cats cased remain open after being found in Troy in June & July.  A reward of $7,500 has been set up for information leading to the arrest in these cases.

Reference:

Capital News 9

The Times Union