A Springfield family says they found their dog skinned and mutilated in their backyard.

Police and animal control are looking into the dog’s unusual death.

The family is convinced someone sick or sinister killed their dog.

Sharrie Thompson says, "We went to go get food and when we came back we went to feed the dogs and she didn't come."

Eighteen-year-old Thompson says she started searching for her mother's dog Athena.

"I looked to my left and I saw something shiny.” Thompson said, “I thought it was a plastic bag."

Instead Thompson says she found her mother's dog skinned and mutilated.

"Her ribs were out and she had no heart.” Thompson said, “It looked like the ribs had been sawed off with an electric saw."

Springfield police are investigating but they also contacted animal control.

Springfield Police Officer Grant Story says the incident is isolated.

Story says, "The officer advised the family to take the dog to a vet to see if the animal had been attacked by another dog or likely by a human."

The family says an inhumane human must have killed their dog because the wounds were too clean.

Thompson says, “From the side I saw she was skinned.”

The family says it’s strange that their other 160 pound dog, Chaos, didn't do anything to stop anyone who got past their privacy fence.

Thompson says, "The only way they could have done this to Athena is by knocking both of the dogs out."

The family says they don't know of any enemy's or anyone capable of brutally killing a dog.

Thompson says, "From the research I've done on the computer it seems to be Satanic."

Story says, "It's a possibility but we don’t have anything leading us in that direction.”

Story says officers need more information to prove a crime was committed.

He says there isn’t any other evidence pointing to foul play besides the fact the dog was found without its skin.

Story says, "Typically with ritualistic incidents there is other evidence lying around."

No matter what happened Thompson says her mother refuses to look at the pictures of her dead dog.

"She wants who ever did this to be locked up.” Thompson said, “I just want to know who and why."

The family says animal control took Athena's body to investigate the exact cause of death.

At the time of this report animal control had not returned KSPR’s phone call.

The spokesperson was out sick on Tuesday.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at (417) 869-TIPS or (417) 864-1810.