Police are seeking the public's help after a resident found a dead cat in a trash bag weighed down by a large rock in the Charles River in Watertown, Massachusetts, a little over a week ago.
Watertown Animal Control is investigating after a resident who regularly walks the river contacted them on Jan. 30 to say he had found the cat about eight feet from shore.
“I’m figuring they threw it off the foot bridge, and it floated and got caught right here,” said Robert Divecchio, who made the shocking discovery a couple of weeks ago while picking up trash near the dam on California Street. “We were walking by here at 9:30 in the morning and I saw a bag floating in the water right over here.”
Divecchio says the cat was wrapped in double trash bags, and the bag was weighed down by a large rock.
“There were towels in there wrapped around it, bath towels,” he said. “As soon as I saw it was a cat my heart dropped...and I immediately went to the police station.”
The cat was emaciated and tortoiseshell, with a unique tan marking strip from its forehead to its nose, and was reportedly missing teeth, according to the animal control officer.
Police said it is not known if the cat was already dead when it was thrown into the river or if it drowned.
U.S. & World
Anyone who saw something suspicious in this area within the past two weeks is asked to contact Watertown Animal Control at (617) 972-6446 or by email at koreilly@watertown-ma.gov.
