German Shepherd Involved in Ohio Prison Rehabilitation Program Beaten to Death by Inmate

A German Shepherd dog taking part in a rehabilitation program at an Ohio jail was beaten to death by an inmate, according to the animal rescue charity that sent her there.

In a message posted to its Facebook page, Joseph's Legacy revealed that the dog called Evie, who came into its care with a broken hip after a car hit her, was dead from horrific internal injuries in what was described as "our worst nightmare."

"We are incredibly sad and it's a rough time for us," said the post written by Dawn Roberts, who runs the rescue.

"Please understand I am having a hard time finding the right words to describe the deep loss we are feeling right now. We have lost one of our own animals who we feel needs justice and her story told."

Evie was at the Warren Correctional Institution, which is located north of Cincinnati, as part of a scheme which teaches inmates to train rescue animals, equipping them with new skills for life outside jail.

"We got the news that Evie was found in the cell, unresponsive by her handlers and she had passed away," Joseph's Legacy wrote on Facebook.

"Naturally, this immediately became something we took seriously. We are deeply hurt by any loss but since we weren't there, we needed to get a necropsy to find out how she passed away. We have removed all our dogs from this program and will not return.

"Today made this hurt so much more. We received an update from the necropsy that is absolutely heartbreaking. Our Evie died from blunt force trauma to her abdomen causing her liver to hemorrhage and her kidney was also damaged.

"We're all undeniably angered and overwhelmingly upset. We will have more results in about 3-4 weeks. We have to get justice for Evie. The state authorities are in charge of the investigation. Formal charges WILL be pressed."

Joseph's Legacy urged any other rescues considering participating in similar programs to "think twice" because they "are more risky than we had originally thought."

In a follow up Facebook post, Joseph's Legacy revealed it had been the target of abusive messages since opening up about the trauma of losing Evie.

"It's crazy how many rude and awful messages we have received since Evie's story went national," the post said. "It's hard for a rescue to steadily remain transparent and available for the community but the national people have no clue who we are in our own community.

"While we dislike the negative and hurtful words we are happy that Evie's story is being heard AND people are just as outraged and upset as we are. We will keep pushing for justice. Try to understand the situation a little more before harshly attacking heartbroken volunteer rescuers."

Greg Craft, a warden's assistant at Warren Correctional Institution, told Newsweek: "The animal training programs within our facilities have proven to be an effective and meaningful activity for over 20 years, and we have absolutely zero tolerance for any type of abuse of the animals who are part of these programs.

"Following the investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, we will conduct a thorough review of the program at the Warren Correctional Institution followed by a broader review of the animal programs across the state."