Two arrested after one dog found dead, another distressed after being left unattended in a car

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, 59-year-old Manuel Frias and 55-year-old Griselda Gallegos were arrested and face animal cruelty charges for leaving two dogs in an unattended car, resulting in one of the dog's death.

Officials say that on May 9, 2026, around 3:00 p.m., deputies with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 6900 block of Hueco Tanks Road. The caller reported to officials that the vehicle was not running and that one of the animals appeared to be in distress.

When deputies arrived to the scene, they made contact with the dogs' owners, identified as Frias and Gallegos, who had returned to the vehicle before deputies arrived. During the investigation, deputies learned the pair had attempted CPR on a 2-year-old French Bulldog, which was later pronounced deceased at the scene. A second canine, a 5-year-old Lhasa Apso, survived.

Investigators later determined the dogs had been left inside the vehicle for about one hour without proper ventilation or protection from the heat. 

As a result of the investigation, Frias and Gallegos were each charged with one count of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals – Failure to Provide and one count of Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals – Kill/Poison/Serious Bodily Injury. Both were booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on $10,000 bonds each.

 “Animal cruelty cases are something we take very seriously,” said Sheriff Oscar Ugarte. “Pets depend on us for their safety and wellbeing, and no animal should suffer due to negligence. We want to remind the public that temperatures inside a vehicle can become deadly within minutes, even when the weather outside may not seem extreme.”