Naperville man arrested after killing family dog ​​and threatening to kill stepdaughters

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) — A man was arrested after he was accused of killing his family's dog and threatening to kill his two stepdaughters, the DuPage County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

Nathan Gonzalez, 36, appeared in court Wednesday. He was charged with one count of serious animal cruelty and two counts of offenses endangering the health or life of a child. Additionally, the judge granted the state's request to hold Gonzalez on an unrelated domestic violence offense for allegedly hitting his wife with a baseball bat on Oct. 2.

On September 29, just before 6 a.m., Naperville police received a 911 call from a 14-year-old girl who said her stepfather, later identified as Gonzalez, had killed her family's dog and was threatening to kill her and to kill her 11 year old. year old stepsister.

Officers arrived at the home and found the two girls, but Gonzalez and the family dog ​​Rocco, a black and white Shih Tzu, were missing, the office said.

Investigation of the matter revealed that Gonzalez and his wife were out in the evening but had an argument and took separate trips home, with Gonzalez arriving at the house first. After the couple separated, Gonzalez allegedly called his wife and told her he was going to kill Rocco.

When she arrived home, she allegedly found Gonzalez at home, but the dog was missing. The two argued, with Gonzalez allegedly telling his wife that he killed Rocco and dumped his body at a construction site before leaving the house.

A few hours later, officers received a call to inform them that Gonzalez had returned home. When officers arrived, they learned that Gonzalez had fled the area on foot but was found hiding behind a dumpster a few blocks away.

The next day, Naperville Animal Control officers found the dog at a construction site. An autopsy determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.

Gonzalez is due back in court Nov. 18 to face aggravated animal cruelty charges.