Verde Village families are seeking justice after two miniature schnauzers were found shot dead near Thousand Trails RV Park in Cottonwood this week.

The family realized Monday that their two dogs, Olivia and Popeye, were missing. They immediately began searching the area, printing posters of the missing dogs and calling all the nearest animal shelters.

Both were due to have their fourth birthdays in August.

But on Thursday, Alex Sanchez, the owner of the two dogs, told the Arizona Republic that the search was over after he received a heartbreaking phone call about an unexpected dog.

Sanchez said the caller said he came across the dead dog while hiking near Thousand Trails in Cottonwood on Tuesday. It was just a day after the Sanchez family realized their dog was missing. But the man told Sanchez that it wasn’t until Thursday that he saw the missing dog poster and felt a connection and called his family to warn them.

Sanchez said he called Animal Control and the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office to take over the investigation.

The sheriff’s office said Friday that a sheriff’s deputy picked up the body on Thursday, but said it had not yet determined what caused the suspect or the dog to be shot.

“They were our babies,” Sanchez said. “It’s hard to understand how you can do that.”

Sanchez said his wife and two children were devastated and he was currently looking for answers.

Mr Sanchez said his wife and son walked around the neighborhood on Friday morning, looking for video footage from neighbors and businesses to see if someone had taken the dog.

“No one has seen anything yet that we know of, and no one has heard of it, so we’re just trying to get information,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez and his wife, Maria Castillo, hope to find an answer as to who did this and justice is given to their dog.

The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office has not released a suspect or any leads. If you have any information, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 928-771-3260.

This article originally appeared in the Republic of Arizona. Two Sanchez dogs found shot dead in Cottonwood