In a suspected animal cruelty case which garnered national attention, Valerie (aka Cargo), a friendly pit bull, adopted from an Orange County animal shelter two weeks ago, had been found left to die on a South Los Angeles street. Valerie was not sexually assaulted at all the Los Angeles Police Department now reports.

Valerie had been adopted from the animal shelter by a Hispanic male – she was spayed and microchipped, but the information on her chip had not been registered according to Ghetto Rescue FFoundation (GRFF). The dog had briefly recovered and within hours of being rescued again, had been happily wagging her tail and barking in excitement. Suddenly Valerie collapsed and died. An exam of the body revealed vaginal trauma. According to the rescue’s social media page, the dog died from a ruptured aorta, believed to have been the result of blunt force trauma.

On Thursday, a report from the Animal Cruelty Task Force for the Los Angeles Police Department states Valerie was not assaulted at all and the cause of her death remains unknown:

“It is the forensic veterinarian’s expert opinion the dog was not sexually assaulted by a person or animal. The opinion of both the treating and forensic veterinarian is that the cause of death is unknown. Lab tests on varying tissue samples are pending to help possibly identify cause of death.”

When Valerie was discovered near 85th and Main Streets, the GRFF described her as not moving and dehydrated. The dog was rushed to a veterinarian and had been suffering from an “extremely swollen vagina,” prompting the rescue to suspect the dog had been sexually exploited. She did not have any other bruises on her body. The observation was not supported by the treating veterinarian or the forensic veterinarian the report stated.

“The dog was recently spayed, possibly in heat and had several litters, which may have accounted for the (veterinary) technician’s observations. …The treating vet did not identify death by aortic rupture caused by blunt force trauma. The forensic veterinarian concluded the same.”

Investigators have since questioned witnesses, executed search warrants, reviewed available video and ordered the second necropsy to be performed on Valerie. They found no evidence the dog had been thrown from a car. Several accounts claim they saw a female Hispanic dropping the dog off “in front of a location, possibly several hours before the dog was recovered.”

Further information from the ACTF report stated the person who adopted Valerie had been banned from adopting anymore pets from the shelter. Updated information stated the person who adopted the dog did not do so for “malicious reasons.”

“Due to events beyond the owner’s control, the dog was placed in a home on a temporary basis. The owner intended on retrieving the dog when his situation was resolved. He was unaware his dog had died and is saddened by the loss.”

The case does remain open. Anyone with information is asked to contact the LAPD’s ACTF at 213.486.0450 or 877.LAPD 247.

Rest in peace Valerie.

Read more news on the National Pet Rescue page here.

Read prior coverage here.

Dog tied out and left to die – more here.

The cutest video you’ll see this week! Adorable otter has to cuddle her stuff in order to go to sleep – watch here.

Sweet kitten says thank you for being rescued – check out the video here.