A Washington Parish family is offering a $3,000 reward for any information that might lead to an arrest in a case involving the brutal killing of their pet pit bull, according to Jeff Dorson, director of the Humane Society of Louisiana.

Dorson said that on Friday, June 16, the Miley family noticed that their beloved 2-year-old brown and tiger striped pit bull, Dex, was missing. He was an inside dog, but sometimes ventured on to the family’s 110 acre property in the Enon community of lower Washington Parish, but always stayed close to the family residence.

As soon as the Miley family noticed that Dex was missing, they quickly offered a $1,000 reward for his safe return (or information on his whereabouts), distributed fliers and posted his photo on social media. Soon, the Humane Society of Louisiana got involved and with the help of its Magnolia chapter, which operates in Washington parish, increased the reward to $2,500 and then it increased to $3,000, when the Freckles Freedom Fund, a pit bull rescue group, chipped in an additional $500. The reward will be distributed to any person or persons who shares information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Dex’s death, Dorson said.

On Saturday, Dex’s body was found in a ditch off of Highway 438 near Balltown Road in Angie, Dorson said. A plastic trash bag covered his head, and he had been apparently shot near the chest. It appeared that the body had been in that position for the previous three to four days, Dorson added.

The post on Dex’s story and death has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jeff.dorson.

The Miley family is devastated, but appreciates the hundreds of words of support they have received from individuals from around the nation, Dorson said.

“We would first like to thank everyone who has helped in the finding of Dex,” said Tara Miley, Dex’s owner. “Even though this wasn’t the way we wanted to find him, it does give us some comfort knowing he cannot be harmed by anyone any more. We just hope someone comes forward with some information about who did this to him so justice can be served.

“Dex was a loving, kind animal; he was like a child to us. Losing him is like losing a family member. It’s so disheartening to know that someone could do such unspeakable things to such a sweet animal. Horrible things like this keep happening in our community and it’s never going to stop unless someone speaks up.”

The Miley family plans to lay a memorial wreath on their property in honor of Dex. In addition, there will be a national moment of silence Friday at noon for Dex and all other victims of animal cruelty, Dorson said.

“We would like to use Dex’s terrible death and other recent acts of cruelty toward animals to bring people together to help us address these terrible crimes and find solutions as a strong, unified front,” he said. “We believe that a national moment of silence is a good way to start the process.”

Det. Demetria Rice of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating the complaint. All tips and leads should be directed to her by calling 985-839-3434, extension 2004.

Donations in honor of Dex and other victims of neglect and violence can be made to the Humane Society of Louisiana online at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/humanela or through the mail at “P.O. Box 740321, New Orleans, LA 70174.” All donations are tax-deductible.