Investigation underway after dog shot & killed in South Bend Township

An investigation is underway after a dog was shot and killed in South Bend Township.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 400 block of Neubert Lane on March 30 at about 6:30 p.m. for a dog that had been shot and killed on the deck of the home.

Law enforcement arrived to find a medium-sized, mixed-breed, female dog that was dead and appeared to have been shot.  A Facebook post from the dog’s owner says her name was Lily Anne.

In the post, Lily Anne’s owner, Alyssa DeBill, said the shooting happened in daylight while two children were in the living room just feet away from the deck door.  DeBill says Lily Anne was shot in the chest.

Deputies canvassed the area and spoke to nearby residents.  A neighbor who had been outside when the dog was killed reported hearing two gunshots in the timeframe of the dog’s shooting, according to a press release.

Investigators learned that Lily Anne’s owners and another dog owner in the area had discovered threatening notes on their property warning them to keep their dogs from barking about two weeks before the shooting.

Police say the threatening notes, surveillance footage, and additional evidence have been collected.

The shooting remains under investigation.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office at (507) 304-4863 or report anonymously through CrimeStoppersmn.org.

“Lily Anne was the best dog in the world and there’s nothing you can do to change my mind,” DeBills said in her Facebook post.