Woman finds body of dog ‘sawed in half’ on porch

Even the veteran cops, the grizzled ones that have seen just about everything, had a hard time handling what they found in Somerton Monday.

A 46-year-old woman looked out on her patio deck about 3:30 p.m. and discovered something utterly horrifying: the recently severed head and front paws of a Husky dog.

Cops and members of the Pennsylvania SPCA rushed to her home, on Byberry Road near Blakeslee Drive, and tried to make sense of the disturbing scene.

As of Monday night, they had some answers.

Police officials said the dog went missing Sunday night about three miles away from the patio where part of its remains ended up.

The family that owned the dog had let it out for a walk about 9 p.m. "It took off running and never returned," one investigator said.

Sherri Verdon, the woman who found the severed remains on her porch, told CBS 3 that she believed it was the work of an old neighbor who has long had a problem with her.

Police said they were looking into Verdon's claims, but had not yet identified a suspect.

It was unclear, an investigator said, where the dog had been dismembered. "There was no blood at the house," he said.

Marc Peralta, the chief operating officer of the SPCA, said it "appeared was sawed in half."

"This is something you'd never think you'd see," he added.