HYATTSVILLE, Md. — A Hyattsville family is desperate to get their 3-year-old Yorkie back after thieves could be seen on surveillance video stealing the dog from the family's front porch.
Raquel Witherspoon said her 12-year-old daughter's Yorkie, named Avery, somehow got out of the house and was on the porch. Witherspoon said when the family noticed he was missing they opened the door and looked outside, only to find Avery gone.
"Something told me to look at the camera and I saw them and I was like somebody has him," Witherspoon said.
A surveillance camera from the family's doorbell showed a woman with red hair and a man with a backpack approach the home and appear to attempt to try to bribe Avery before walking up and grabbing the dog from the front porch.
"He’s family. He’s my granddog. He’s family. I’ll do anything to get him back, anything," Witherspoon said.
Witherspoon said she called the police and filed a report. She also placed flyers around the neighborhood with photos captured from the surveillance camera.
“That’s when I got a call yesterday around 3 p.m. with the suspect, she stated to give her $1200 and I’d get the dog back. I said no problem. She said send me pictures of the money, so I spread out the money and took a picture of it and I sent it to her," Witherspoon said.
She said that's when the woman on the other end of the phone started cursing at her and making threatening comments toward the family's beloved dog.
“Then she sent the video of him in a cage. My daughter was distraught. I’m trying to be strong for her and in the same instance I’m like wow, it hurts. Avery is a part of our family so we definitely need him back," Witherspoon said.
Witherspoon said all she wants is for the family's dog to be returned home, no matter how, and for justice to be served to whoever stole him.
WUSA9 reached out to the Prince George's County Police Department but did not hear back at the time of publication.