A Mexican immigrant family says their pet Chihuahua was stolen and killed by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) members.

Two women in a PETA truck reportedly drove to the Virginia family house and dognapped the pet named Maya, NY Daily News reports. The dad, Wilbur Cerate, said he looked at the home surveillance video that showed the pair of women driving off with the Chihuahua.

Later, the same women came to the home with a fruit basket to offer the family. They told Wilbur that the dog had been put down.

Wilbur said the tiny dog was the only thing that cheered up his daughter, who has been having difficulty adjusting to the United States.

"She didn't want to go to school, she didn't want to do jobs, she's crying," the father told WAVY-TV reporters.

Wilbur recalled pulling up to the home in rural Parksley on the Eastern Shore in late October to find Maya gone. The Chihuahua usually came barking as he pulled up to the house, but on that day, it was silent.

After the family searched all over to no avail, Wilbur checked his footage from the home surveillance camera and saw a vehicle featuring the PETA logo back up to his porch. Two women came out of the van and snatched the dog.

"I was angry. I understand they pick up my dog, if it was in a tree or another place, but this is in my house," Cerate said.

Wilbur called the sheriff's office after the women returned to the home three days later saying that the dog was put down, providing no proof of remains.

Accomack Country Sheriff Todd Godwin said he charged the women with larceny because pets are considered personal property. The local prosecutor did not try the case because there was no evidence of criminal intent.

Related