The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office on Monday recovered the body of a dog that is believed to be one missing from a Woodland woman’s home.

Jennifer Thomas said her dog, an English bulldog named Jaggar, disappeared a few weeks ago.

The sheriff’s office was tipped by a caller who reported seeing the body of a dog lying by railroad tracks near the 2400 block of Talley Way in Kelso, a bulletin said.

The dog is believed to be Jaggar, the sheriff’s office said Monday night.

The remains were recovered by the Cowlitz County Humane Society on Monday. A veterinarian is scheduled to examine the animal on Tuesday to determine the cause of death.

The dog died somewhere between 48 and 72 hours before being found, according to initial estimates.

Several days after her dog disappeared, Thomas said she got threatening text messages from a number she doesn’t recognize asking for prescription pain medicine and cash in exchange for Jaggar. She was told if she went to the police or didn’t cooperate, the next message she received would come with photos of the dog being tortured, she said.

“This appears to be a sad ending to this part of the investigation,” Cowlitz County Sheriff Mark Nelson said in the release. “We’ve put many hours into this case, and I hate that the dog was killed, whether by a train, or any other means. It doesn’t mean that we’re done with the investigation. We’ll follow any leads we get to find who took Jaggar.”

Deputy Laura Thurman is looking for the extortionists. Anyone with information is asked to call her at 360-577-3092. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers, which generally offers rewards, at 360-577-1206.

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