Naples man charged for killing 11-week-old Chihuahua

NAPLES, Fla. — A Naples man has been arrested on charges of aggravated animal cruelty after a necropsy revealed he killed an 11-week-old Chihuahua puppy through blunt force trauma, according to the Naples Police Department.

Xavier Reda, 24, was taken into custody on Feb. 5 and transported to the Naples Jail Center. The arrest stems from an incident that occurred on November 13, 2024, when police responded to a 911 call about a dog that Reda claimed had fallen from a second-story porch.

At approximately 5:45 p.m. that day, a neighbor near Curlew Avenue reported the dog was not moving.

When officers arrived at the scene, they said they met with the caller and Reda. The dog, identified as Dixie, was an approximately 11-week-old tan female Chihuahua. Officers observed the puppy wrapped in a towel and determined she was dead, police said.

Reda initially told police that the dog ran out the back door, slipped through an opening in the stairwell, and fell from the second floor, the department said.

However, a forensic necropsy conducted at the University of Florida Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories in Gainesville revealed significant injuries inconsistent with a fall. The examination, police said, found an acute left rib fracture with associated lung punctures, a healed rib fracture from a prior injury, cutaneous and subcutaneous hemorrhaging, and focal intracranial hemorrhage.

The veterinarian determined the injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma and were the cause of death. According to the medical examiner, the injuries were not consistent with a fall.

Following the necropsy findings, scene observations and measurements, and multiple interviews including with Reda, investigators submitted an arrest warrant request to the Office of the State Attorney in April 2025.

After a thorough review, an arrest warrant was issued on February 3, 2026, determining that Reda intentionally and knowingly committed an act of cruelty toward the dog while in his custody, resulting in her death.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.