Officials have determined that the two “severed” dog heads that were found in Valencia over the past month were the result of wildlife attacks, and no acts of animal cruelty had been committed.  

On Tuesday, officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station gave an update on their investigation into the discovery of two separate “severed” dog heads in Valencia in the past month.

“In one of the incidents, the head was found placed underneath a ‘Lost Dog’ flyer,” wrote Shirley Miller, spokesperson for the station, in an official post Tuesday. “These discoveries were concerning to us, as they were to many community members. Suspicious Circumstances reports were taken and a full investigation by our detectives was launched.”

Over the course of their investigation, detectives with the station contacted several “local workers,” who told them that they had found the heads “in an area where coyotes and/or other wild animals are known to frequent.”

“Their intentions were to inform parties what had happened to their pets, and meant no harm,” Miller wrote. “They just thought ‘people would want to know.’ Although not a crime, detectives counseled the workers that it was in poor taste to do so, and their actions were upsetting to our community who feared acts of animal cruelty were being committed.”

See Related: Severed Dog Head Found In Valencia

As their investigation continued, detectives worked with state experts in the field to examine the heads.

“The overall consensus from the experts was unanimous in the professional opinion that the dogs had been killed by a wild animal,” Miller wrote.

The first dog head had been found on the ground near a missing dog poster on Promontory Lane in Valencia at around 8 p.m. on Aug. 5. The second was found a week and a half later near Copperstone Drive and Alyssum Place in Valencia.

“We hope these findings put a lot of minds at ease,” Miller concluded. “Our mission is not only protect people and property, but pets too.”

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