MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A South Florida bird breeder is pleading for justice after he said thieves stole 300 parakeets and conures from his Redland property and fatally poisoned five dogs — four of his own and one belonging to a neighbor — during the heist.
“The weight of the law should fall on these murderers,” said Michel Ojito, the nursery owner.
Surveillance video from just after midnight Wednesday shows a pickup truck arriving at his property.
Four people were seen getting out and began searching for cameras.
One tilted a camera toward the ground, while another returned with an object to climb on and covered a lens with a bucket. Shortly after, the barking of Ojito’s dogs suddenly stopped.
Ojito said when he woke up hours later and found the birds missing, he also discovered his dogs collapsed on the ground, lifeless.
He believes the thieves poisoned them to keep them quiet while carrying out the crime.
“It’s very painful,” Ojito said.
José Alfonso, Ojito’s friend and a fellow bird breeder, said the killing of the dogs has been the hardest part.
“He wants people to understand that the theft was bad enough, but his biggest concern is that they killed his dogs,” Alfonso said. “His daughter is devastated, his whole family is, because the dogs were part of the family. They had been with them for years. And that’s the part he feels these people need to be held accountable for.”
Neighbors have provided Ojito with additional surveillance video that may show the suspect’s vehicle driving through the area around the time of the break-in.
Miami-Dade burglary detectives are investigating and asking for the public’s help.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.