Prince William County Police are investigating a horrible case of animal cruelty.
They're trying to find the person who hung a small dog from a tree and set it on fire.
Two people were walking through a wooded area off Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge over the weekend when they found the dog hanging.
Police say the dog was partially burned and believe it had been there for several days.
"It's a heinous crime that we're going to investigate to the fullest of our ability," said Prince William County Police Spokesman Nathan Probus, "Hopefully, we can, with the help of our community, bring this individual to justice,"
Investigators believe the dog was a black and white Terrier.
They collected evidence from the wooded area and animal control officers took the dog to a state lab for further testing.
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Investigators are hoping someone from the public will have information to help track down the person responsible.
Probus says even police were horrified by what they saw.
"We're human beings like everyone else," said Probus, "We also realize we have a job to do. We're going to do our very best to gather all necessary evidence that we can at the scene and then try to find whatever pieces we can put together so we can prosecute this crime."
