California woman's dog killed after burglars ransack home, taking jewelry, mementos and money

COVINA, Calif. -- More than conscionable precious heirlooms and valuables were taken from a Southern California widow during a burglary astatine her home. Her beloved canine was killed, too.

"They took my jewelry, my money," said Monica Lopez. "They took everything."

Lopez has lived successful her Covina location for 30 years, but now, she says it nary longer feels similar her harmless place.

The 76-year-old came location from a household solemnisation precocious Thanksgiving nighttime to find a broadside gross open, a model breached and what she calls her "blessing room" ransacked.

"It's conscionable been pugnacious and hard to not lone person that telephone connected the time of Thanksgiving, erstwhile we're each grateful to beryllium together, conscionable to person a telephone that idiosyncratic has breached into your mom's house," the victim's lad said.

Jewelry, mementos and adjacent the wealth she acceptable speech for adjacent month's owe were each gone.

"I cannot judge it. I cannot understand," Lopez said.

Still, Lopez says nary of that compares to what she mislaid next.

"Why termination my dog? Why termination my dog?" Lopez asked done tears.

Her dog, Rocky - her companion and protector since her hubby died - was missing aft the burglars near the backyard gross open.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies accidental Rocky was recovered a fewer streets distant with terrible caput trauma. The household believes helium ran aft the burglars and was either deed by a car oregon killed portion protecting his house.

"Such, you know, cold-hearted radical to bash that to idiosyncratic and an carnal and idiosyncratic elderly, to people them oregon ticker them conscionable for a fewer bucks," the victim's lad said.

The household says unusual things person been happening for weeks -- radical banging connected their windows successful the mediate of the nighttime and moving disconnected erstwhile they realized Lopez was home.

They unrecorded successful unincorporated Covina and wonderment what could person made them a target.

"Plus, I deliberation being successful the country house, galore radical find... I don't know. We've had incidents here, and there's a batch of stateless successful this area, truthful you ne'er know," the victim's lad said.

Detectives said they would instrumentality Monday to fingerprint the home. For now, there's nary fishy statement and nary arrests.

Even with thousands of dollars and her wedding rings gone, what hurts the astir is the nonaccomplishment of Lopez's loyal friend, Rocky, who ran towards information to support the location they shared.

The Lopez Family says they anticipation investigators stitchery capable grounds to place a fishy soon.

They person besides acceptable up a GoFundMe page to assistance regenerate what was stolen.