VALLEY BEND, W.Va. (WBOY) — Law enforcement is investigating after a dog was found dead and taped in a garbage bag in Randolph County.

According to officials at the French Creek office of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), an officer working with the DNR was picking up trash near a bridge in Valley Bend on Friday when he discovered a dog that had died because someone “had taped its mouth shut and its front legs were taped inside a garbage bag so it couldn’t swim.”

During an investigation, the DNR worked alongside Randolph County’s humane officer and the dog’s owner was found, DNR officials said. The owner is not under suspicion for the incident, an official from the humane officer stated.

Officials with the DNR stated that once a subject has been found in the incident, charges will most likely be filed through the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department and humane officer because the alleged crime falls under the code for “cruelty to animals.”

Photos of the dog when it was found have circulated on social media in an attempt to find who was responsible. The dog was a 15 to 20-pound brown, male dog with a short tale, according to the social media posts. Photos of the dog’s body are still available on social media; viewers who want to see if they recognize the dog are urged to use caution because the images are graphic. The posts are available here and here.