A dog has been found and returned to his owner after he was taken during a carjacking in Clearfield, Utah.
While at a Maverik gas station, Dee Thorell had her car stolen with her dog, Reo, sitting inside, KUTV reported Monday. Thorell tried to stop the suspect but was unsuccessful and ended up injured. She lost both her car and her dog.
Thorell said she loves her dog more than anything in the world.
Police arrested the suspect, identified as 31-year-old Melissa Rush, on Thursday, but she refused to reveal Reo’s whereabouts.
The victim’s daughter said, “Reo is her baby, her world. She has a stroller for him, a car seat. He doesn’t eat dog food. She makes him these meals every morning and every night; that’s her companion.”
Thorell was determined to find her beloved pet, so she and her son-in-law, Jeremy Willden, made flyers and shared them near a homeless camp on Saturday.
The pair was about to leave when Thorell felt she should approach a homeless man’s tent and give him a flyer.
To her surprise, the man, identified as John, said he recognized the dog and had seen him a few days prior.
The camp’s residents said they saw the suspect leaving the dog with a family there following the alleged carjacking.
John helped them locate an RV where Reo had been staying for several nights. The moment Reo heard his name called, he came running to his family.
An image shows the relieved pet owner cuddling her little dog:
“I’m on top of the world. The last six days have been a lot of trauma, for sure,” Thorell told KSL after reuniting with her furry companion.
John received the $2,500 reward for helping Reo get back to his family.