A small, fuzzy black-and-white Chihuahua named Emma was killed after allegedly being shot with a pellet gun in the backyard of her East El Paso home, police said.
Detectives with the El Paso Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit “are still actively working this case,” Crime Stoppers of El Paso spokesman Sgt. Javier Sambrano said in an email on Wednesday, May 27.
The fatal family pet shooting was recently featured on a Crime Stoppers’ “Crime Alert” seeking the public’s help to identify the unknown killer.
The EPPD Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit is a specialized team of detectives who handle a variety of animal cruelty cases, established in 2017.
The owners of the 6-year-old Chihuahua found her dead early on May 5 in the backyard of her home in the 9300 block of W.H. Burges Drive, close to Montwood Drive in the Cielo Vista neighborhood, Crime Stoppers said.
The small dog had allegedly been shot possibly with a pellet gun, sometime between 2:50 p.m. on May 4 and 12:35 a.m. on May 5, Crime Stoppers said.
There have been no arrests and the investigation continues, Sambrano said.
Anyone with information on the death of Emma the Chihuahua may call the police nonemergency line at 915-832-4400 or may submit a tip via Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477 (TIPS).
‘April was a good month in the fight against crime’
More than two dozen cases were cleared in April as a result of tips made to Crime Stoppers of El Paso, the longtime community anti-crime program stated.
Crime Stoppers of El Paso numbers in April:
Anonymous tips in April resulted in arrests related to cases of theft, driving while intoxicated, child endangerment and other crimes.
“April was a good month in the fight against crime,” Crime Stoppers stated on a social media post.
In total, there have been 35 arrests, 89 cases cleared and $15,050 paid in rewards so far in 2026, the organization stated.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Who killed Emma the Chihuahua? Family dog fatally shot in backyard
Reporting by Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
