Dog’s body found after reported Saugus dog snatching; police investigating

SAUGUS, Mass. — Saugus Police are investigating after a dog’s body was found in Hawks Pond, a day after it was reported stolen.

Maise was a five-year-old Frenchie rescue from Georgia.

On Wednesday morning, Sofie Ellis-Esty said she was walking Maise, who she is fostering and seven other dogs, all off leash on a trail along Hawkes Pond.

Sofie has a dog walking business.

Sofie said a man approached her and the dogs from the opposite direction.

At first, she said the man was friendly, but then he grabbed Maise.

Dog’s body found after reported Saugus dog snatching; police investigating

“He was petting them, we were having a conversation a couple of minutes. Then he picked her up, which I thought was strange. You don’t pick up someone’s random dog in the woods. I started walking towards him and he sprinted off that way,” she said.

Sofie reported the incident to police.

Her dog group, New York City Second Chance, helped create flyers which are posted along the trails.

Sadly, Thursday night, as one of Sofie’s friends returned to the area to set up a trail cam, Maise’s lifeless body was found floating in the water right in the area where she was grabbed.

Saugus Police are now investigating.

“I was supposed to protect her and I didn’t. The blame feels like it falls on me because I brought her here. I exposed her unknowingly. Yeah, I feel horrific,” Sofie said.

Sofie describes the man who grabbed Maise, as being in his late twenties, early thirties, slender build, with dark brown eyes and brown shoulder length hair.

Sofie and other volunteers from NYC Second Chance are working to find him

“It’s a scary situation it’s pretty egregious when a dog owner can’t walk through a local park without being confronted by a predator who is waiting,” said Lori Dalton of NYC Second Chance.

“If this person took a dog and did this, What has he done in the past? What will he do in the future? Could he hurt a human, could he do this to another dog?” Sofie added.

There is now a $10,000 reward in the case

Contact Saugus Police with any information.

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