Durham County investigators are searching for a person of interest after a dog was found in a dumpster Tuesday morning, moments before a garbage truck arrived to collect its trash.
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Workers at a business in the 2000 block of Chapel Hill Road had heard the truck approaching Tuesday morning when they went outside with additional garbage to leave in the bin on the property.
Inside, they found the dog — a tan pit bull mix, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
The workers waved the truck off and called for help just before 10 a.m. A sheriff’s deputy responded and safely pulled the dog from the dumpster.
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Investigators reviewed security footage provided by the business and identified a person of interest, which means they want to question him but have not declared him a suspect. They said he was last seen leaving the property toward House Street just after 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
“Part of the duties of the Animal Services division is accepting animal surrenders from residents,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday afternoon. “Animal Services deputies and animal control officers will pick up a pet that is ill or that a resident can no longer keep. There is no reason for anyone to throw a pet away or abandon them in any manner.”
Anyone with information on the identity of this individual is asked to contact the Durham County Sheriff’s Office communications center at 919-560-0900 or Animal Services at 919-560-0630.
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This story was originally published September 9, 2026 at 3:54 PM.