Dognapping: Leon, the dog stolen from the yard of Wilmette, Illinois, by a burglary suspect caught on video

WILMETTE, Ill. (WLS) — A woman from the northern suburbs asks the man who took her family dog, Léon, to bring him back.

Marcela Perez Caceres says someone stole her Shih Tzu from her backyard in a brazen incident caught on video.

ABC7 Chicago is now broadcast 24/7. Click here to watch

“If you see this, please return the dog,” Caceres said in Spanish. “I literally pick up Leon every day. He will run into my arms. He’s just a totally adorable ball. The kids will push him in a stroller. He’s amazing.”

The dognapping took place Thursday evening after 8 p.m.

The Wilmette resident told police she left Leon outside in the backyard of her home to use the bathroom and then left to attend a parents’ evening at her daughter’s school.

Shortly afterward, she received a panicked call from her next-door neighbor, who was out of town, about a burglar alarm notification.

“Basically our neighbors called us and said there was a person who broke into our house next door, and in the video it shows that that’s the case, that he’s holding Leon.” , said Cáceres.

A security camera only captured the suspect holding Leon under his left arm as he walked around the neighbor’s house, not the actual dognapping. The family believes the thief grabbed the dog from their backyard before breaking into their garage and the house next door.

The Caceres family has only lived here three months after leaving Colombia.

“The kids love this dog so much. It’s their family, one of the most important parts of their family, so they’re worried,” Caceres said.

Cáceres said she didn’t have the heart to tell her children, ages 8 and 4, that someone had taken Leon. She says they think he just came out of the yard and will be home soon.

Police are currently investigating and possibly searching for at least one suspect responsible for Leon’s theft, while also trying to locate a possible second person seen on video involved in the burglaries.

Meanwhile, the community comes together and publicizes Leon’s kidnapping in hopes of ensuring his safe return.