Pitt County, North Carolina – The Pitt County Sheriff’s Office has released the findings of an investigation into the death of K9 Chilli, a bomb-detection dog who died in June. According to the investigation, the dog was forgotten in the rear seat of her handler’s assigned vehicle on June 11.
In the released investigative report, Sheriff Paula Dance said the loss of K-9 Chilli has been one of the most difficult events the Sheriff’s Office has ever experienced.
On the day of the deadly incident, Chilli was with her handler in Rocky Mount for explosives detection training. After training, the pair returned to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office around noon. It was at this point that Chilli was forgotten in the rear seat of the vehicle. At 4 p.m., her handler returned to the car and discovered that she was still inside.
Video footage shows Chilli’s handler immediately seeking help from fellow deputies and reporting the incident to supervisors.
An Internal Affairs investigation was started on June 12. After the completion of the investigation, it was determined that Chilli’s death was not intentional and her handler did not try to cover up what happened. Because of the findings, criminal charges are not supported.
Rest in peace Chilli.
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