SILVER SPRINGS, FL (352today.com) – It’s a day that Silver Springs resident Alex Gerber will remember for all the wrong reasons.
Gerber’s five-year-old golden retriever, Bella, was integral to his family. He purchased Bella from a local pet shop when she was just an eight-week-old puppy.
“I originally got her for my six-year-old for Christmas,” said Gerber. He said his children grew up alongside Bella and remained “very, very attached” to her. When police arrived at his Silver Springs house, Gerber was already on his way to the vet’s hospital.
Although quick action was taken to save Bella’s life, she was unable to recover from her injuries and passed away a few hours later.
“This happened last Sunday, and I haven’t had a reaction to it yet,” said Gerber. “I don’t think I’ve accepted it fully… I think I’m still in the first stage of grief.”
Following her death, Gerber brought Bella home around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, intending to bury her the next morning. When he woke up Monday, his dad had already dug a hole about four feet deep.
Gerber said they were about to bury Bella in the backyard when animal control called, saying they had to conduct a necropsy, a process that could take four to eight weeks. He said he now intends to have her remains cremated before burial.
It has been a tumultuous week for Gerber following Bella’s death. He said his four-year-old son, Jackson, still calls out for Bella at bedtime. When Bella didn’t respond, Gerber had to explain.
“That was not fun,” he said. “That’s probably been the hardest part of this whole thing.”
Understanding who did this has been equally challenging for Gerber. On the afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 26, Gerber was at Walmart getting a prescription with his daughter when he received a call from his mom.
“She just told me to come home as soon as possible… and told me Bella had been shot and was bleeding out,” he said.
Gerber immediately left Walmart in a frantic rush.
“I loaded my daughter in the truck and did 80 on a 55 all the way home,” he said. “I had so much adrenaline pumping through my veins.”
Gerber arrived home and backed his truck into the driveway. His uncle took his daughter toward the back of the house so she didn’t have to see what had happened.
Meanwhile, Gerber ran to the front porch, where he saw his dad on the phone with police. Then, he saw Bella, lying in a pool of blood.
According to Gerber, Bella had been struck in the back with a crossbow arrow and left a trail from where she had been shot.
“She had managed to walk from where she got shot with the arrow in her back to the front porch of the house,” Gerber said. “She was still wagging her tail and everything.”
Gerber said his parents found Bella moments later. “Bella was a sweet, loving dog. The way her life was ended was entirely unfair, to say the least. My thing is that the weapon law enforcement keeps talking about is a crossbow. They had to take the time to shoot her; they had to load the crossbow, pull it back, and aim it properly, which probably took 20 minutes. This was calculated.”
The only lead authorities have on Bella’s killer is through a witness, who described two men in a brown F-150 that left the area shortly after Bella was found. Gerber said the witness reportedly told authorities they saw a crossbow inside the truck.
According to Gerber, there is currently a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of Bella’s killer. Anyone with information linking to Bella’s killer is urged to submit a tip to Crimestoppers at 352-368-STOP (7867).