Arlington Heights dog found dead in oven after burglary

An Arlington Heights family returning home after spending the July 4 holiday out of town found their home had been burglarized, and their pet dog, Coco, was missing.

Not an entirely uncommon occurrence.

It wasn’t until Arlington Heights police searched the house on the 1500 block of West Roanoke that they made a heartbreaking discovery — the family’s pet Cavachon was dead in a convection oven.

Police are not saying how Coco died, though a necropsy has been completed by the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Authorities are still investigating the burglary, but there are no suspects at this time and no arrests have been made, Criminal Investigation Bureau Sgt. Rick Kappelman said.

Police said the burglary, in which approximately $3,000 worth of jewelry was taken, most likely occurred between the night of July 3 and the morning of July 4. A neighbor had checked on the house and Coco on July 3.

The dog’s death definitely was tied to the burglary, Kappelman said.

“It’s an unusual case,” he said. “We’ve done a thorough canvass of the neighborhood. Gotten as much information as we can at this point.”