The office of Will County State’s Attorney James W. Glasgow has partnered with First Secure Bank to offer a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and charging of a person or persons of interest in a Crete Township animal abuse case.

At a news conference Monday morning, Glasgow and representatives of the Will County Sheriff’s Office and Will County Animal Protection Services discussed the discovery of six deceased “pitbull-type dogs” that showed signs of torture and dog fighting.

The dogs were found on March 3 by Crete Township Highway Department crews who were engaged in routine road maintenance.

The six dogs were found in a ditch near the intersection of Kings Road and Norfolk Avenue in unincorporated Crete Township, each in a black plastic trash bag.

“This was a gruesome and horrifying discovery and we will not tolerate it,” Will County Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Jeremy Zdzinicki said before explaining how the dogs were found.

“The crews picked up the bags and threw them in their truck. They didn’t discover what was in the bags until they got back to their garage, and it’s just lucky they looked inside, otherwise this might not have been discovered,” he said.

The highway department called Will County Animal Protection Services, who then contacted the sheriff’s office.

Zdzinicki described the area the dogs were found in as a “heavily wooded subdivision” with a large space between the homes. He said that the area is somewhat rural, and that police believe the animals were dumped there.

People residing in the immediate neighborhood are not suspected of any involvement, he said.

Examination of the dogs reportedly showed that all six were young, between the ages of 9 and 18 months, and weighed between 45 and 55 pounds.

Officials said the animals had bite marks and other signs of dog fighting on their bodies, but that they are not believed to have died from their fighting injuries.

“They were euthanized, but not in a humane way,” said Will County Animal Protection Services Administrator Anna Payton, adding that investigators do not believe a veterinarian was involved in the killing of the animals. “They were brutalized, killed and disposed of like garbage,” she said.

The state’s attorney’s office described the deaths as “a unique killing” and refrained from providing further details about the method of the animals’ deaths “on the advice of law enforcement.”

“This is not just an animal cruelty case. This is a public safety issue,” Glasgow said. “The level of violence in this case is deeply disturbing, and research has consistently shown a strong link between individuals who harm animals and those who go on to commit violence against people. There is zero tolerance for this kind of cruelty in Will County, and we will not stop until there is justice.”

Glasgow said that several famous serial killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy, had been discovered by FBI investigations to have first committed acts of animal abuse before “working their way up” to human victims.

Glasgow also invoked words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, stating, “if you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, then you have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men,” to express the concern law enforcement has of the danger the perpetrators of this crime pose to the larger community.

The reward for information in the case is being provided by Jay Bergman and First Secure Bank. Residents with information they believe could lead to a breakthrough in the investigation are asked to contact Will County Crime Stoppers, which will keep their information private and anonymous.

Bergman described himself as “an animal lover” and urged residents with information to come forward to “get this sicko off the streets before he harms a person or animal again.”

Zdzinicki said that all tips are being followed up on and taken seriously.

“We need help from the public to get justice,” he said. “These animals did not deserve to die this way.”

Tracking dog fighting

Officials were not able to say how prevalent they believe dogfighting is in Will County because of the lack of information around it.

Glasgow described dogfighting circles as “highly secretive” and “usually linked to other serious violent crimes.” He also said that he has previously personally advocated for felony-level charges for animal cruelty, something that would be pursued in this case.

In addition to the “savage brutality” of the case, Assistant State’s Attorney Kelly O’Brien said the state is pursuing the investigation so vigorously to raise awareness of animal cruelty.

“As the weather gets warmer, abuse cases tend to get worse,” she said. “We want to tell people there is an avenue to report it if they see it.”

“Animals are voiceless; they need humans to be their advocates,” Payton said. “These dogs deserved better than this, and our community deserves better than this. Hopefully, something good can come out of this tragedy, and the person responsible can be found.”