Ruso was a friendly, high-energy 9-year-old husky who liked to rest in the shade of his family’s front yard in Lynwood, California. On October 4, someone took him from that yard. A video later shared by the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation showed Ruso dead, strung up by a leash on an alley door about a mile from home.

According to his owner, Filiberto Reyes, neighbors saw a man and a woman hanging around the fence that day. Neighbors say the man kicked and abused Ruso, then tempted him away with food. Reyes says the leash and collar found on Ruso were never his.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) has called the case “both horrific and heart breaking,” according to an LASD statement. Detectives are looking for suspects, witnesses and evidence, and deputies have a photo of a person last seen with Ruso. No arrests have been announced.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department must keep this case a top priority until everyone responsible is identified. Once there is an arrest, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office should pursue the strongest animal cruelty charges California law allows.

To Reyes, Ruso was family. “That was basically my son,” Reyes told CBS LA. He also worries that a person willing to do this to a dog could go on to hurt people. When cruelty this deliberate goes unpunished, every pet owner in the neighborhood is left wondering who is next.

Anyone with information can reach LA County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.

Sign the petition to tell LASD and the District Attorney that Ruso’s case cannot go cold — his family deserves answers, and Lynwood deserves to feel safe.