CITY | STATE Vehicle theft turns tragic with death of support pig
A car theft turned into a deadly animal heist this week in Harris County when a thief sped off in a vehicle with an unusual passenger: a 180-pound emotional support pig named Honey.
The victims flagged down deputies around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in a parking lot of the La Quinta Inn at 13290 FM 1960 Road West near Jersey Village to report their rental car was stolen and their emotional support animal was missing, said Deputy Thomas Gilliland of the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies took a report and informed the agency's livestock division to watch for calls involving the missing pig, named Honey.
On Thursday, members of the sheriff's office livestock division responded around 4:30 p.m. to a call from Jersey Village police at the Quality Suites hotel in northwest Harris County.
When deputies arrived, the service pig was dead, Gilliland said.
The Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office also was notified Thursday evening and a trained animal investigator responded to the hotel, located at 17550 Northwest Freeway, spokesman Jeff McShan said.
Officials will conduct a necropsy to determine the pig's cause of death, McShan said.
Jersey Village police did not respond to inquiries. Authorities continue to investigate the case.
"So heartbreaking for my granddaughter who always wanted her. Honey was born on Mother's Day last year. She had the best life a pig could ask for," a family member wrote on Facebook about the incident.
Mandy Oslin told KHOU she bought Honey early in the pandemic to help her children cope with anxiety.
“She’s definitely more than just a pet,” Oslin said.
Oslin, who traveled from California, said she left Honey in the car while she got her kids settled in the hotel room. When she came back out to get the pig and bring it to their room, Oslin said Honey and the car were gone.
“It was a horrible introduction to Houston,” Oslin told KHOU.