By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CENTRALIA – Someone set fire to a headless dog carcass in downtown Centralia.
“There was a dog that was on fire, it was put out by responders,” Riverside Fire Authority Capt. Erik Olson said. Police are handling the investigation, he said.
Firefighters and police were called about 1:20 a.m. yesterday to the scene, near the railroad tracks at Walnut Street.
Centralia area resident Jennifer Yocum was nearby at a friend’s home when the fire trucks arrived.
“We thought, oh, something’s on fire, it smells horrible,” Yocom said.
It was a large dog, that looked like it had black short hair, with some burned clothing or something similar next to it, Yocom said.
Centralia Police Department Sgt. Kurt Reichert said it appeared the dog must have already been decapitated and dead before it and some debris around it were lit on fire. He didn’t know where it came from.
Yocom was dismayed this afternoon to see the animal still lay in between the two sets of railroad tracks. Further details were not readily available today.