WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Dog dies after being set on fire

Dog dies after being set on fire

By Caroline Moses - bio | email

BAKER, LA (WAFB) - Managers of an apartment complex say someone lit their dog on fire and they think it was meant as retaliation. The dog died one week after the incident.

Deionna Richardson and Troy Jeanmard own the Baker Trails Apartment Complex on Baker Boulevard in Baker. Their two-year-old dog, "Jake," lived there with them until they started changing the look and feel of the area. The apartment managers think Jake was in the front part of the complex when someone poured either gasoline or diesel on his body, and then set him on fire.

"It was murder. This dog was like our kid," Jeanmard said. "I saw Jake engulfed in flames, rolling around in the grass, trying to put himself out."

According to doctors at the LSU Vet School, Jake likely burned for two or three minutes, which was long enough to cause third-degree burns over most of his body. The severity of the burns makes doctors so sure some kind of flammable agent was involved. Jake lived for one week until the injuries caused his death on Friday.

"He was probably the best dog I've ever met," Jeanmard added. "We believe it was definitely retaliation because of us asking people to leave the property that shouldn't be here to begin with."

Jeanmard said he routinely takes over problem complexes and revitalizes them. There is always some push-back from the people against change, but he said he has never seen anything like this. Although they think they know who may have been responsible, the managers have no evidence or eye witness reports. 

The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office is investigating the case, but deputies said they had few leads.

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