Newark police are investigating a case of animal cruelty in which a dog died after it was beaten and set on fire.

The incident happened near Columbia Avenue and Plymouth Street Thursday night or early Friday morning. Rasheed Cotton says that he and his 6-year-old daughter were awoken by a group of teens causing commotion outside. Cotton says that his daughter made the gruesome discovery Friday morning. He says that he initially thought it was just a mound of hair, but discovered that it was a dead dog.

“Why would you torture a dog?” Cotton asks.

Cotton says that Thursday night he saw a small, black dog walk up to the group of teens. He says that it was the last time that he saw the dog alive.

Newark police are investigating the incident.

“I’m a pet lover. I love my dog and I take it to heart. This is despicable, it really is,” says Newark Police Commander Lee Douglas.

Cotton says that he is just disturbed that something like this can happen so close to his home.

“If your child is out here killing innocent animals at a younger age, he’s liable to kill someone once he reaches maturity,” he says.

Police say they have some great leads thanks in part to surveillance cameras in the area.