Police say 11-week-old puppy’s injuries suggested blunt force trauma.
NAPLES, Fla. — A Naples man is accused of aggravated animal cruelty in the death of an 11-week-old puppy after police said witness statements and veterinary findings contradicted his claim that the dog died in an accidental fall from a second-story stairwell.
Naples police said the case centered on what people inside the home reported hearing and seeing, and what a veterinarian documented after the dog was taken in for evaluation. The suspect, 24-year-old Xavier Reda, was arrested Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued earlier in the week, police said.
The investigation began in November when officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of Curlew Avenue after a neighbor called 911 to report a dog had fallen from a second-story porch area and was not moving, police said in a press release. The dog, a puppy named Dixie, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Reda, identified as the dog’s owner in the police account, told officers Dixie ran out of the back door of his apartment, slipped through an opening in the stairwell and fell from the second floor, police said. Officers said Reda repeatedly described what happened as an accident.
Police said concerns surfaced quickly among people who lived with Reda. A police report said he lived with his girlfriend and a roommate, and both became suspicious about the story of a fall. Investigators said the roommate reported hearing what sounded like choking involving the puppy and later hearing Dixie whimper loudly on the day she died. The roommate told officers Reda came into the roommate’s room carrying the puppy limp and covered in blood, police said. The roommate said Reda continued to insist it was an accident and repeated the claim that Dixie fell between the railings of the stairway, according to the police account.
Authorities said witness descriptions were later reinforced by medical findings that did not align with a simple fall. Dixie was transported to a veterinarian, and police said the veterinarian noted injuries more consistent with blunt force trauma than a fall from a great height. Police listed those injuries as an acute left rib fracture with lung punctures, a healed rib fracture, bruises and hemorrhaging in the skull. Investigators said the healed rib fracture suggested an earlier injury that predated the final incident. Police did not say when that earlier injury occurred, but they said it was part of the picture that led them to treat the death as criminal.
Investigators also pointed to accounts from other people who interacted with Reda around the time of the puppy’s death. Naples police said several witnesses told them Reda said he was sick of the dog and wanted to kill it. One witness told officers they saw no blood in the area where Reda claimed Dixie fell, but they did see blood inside Reda’s apartment, police said. In the broadcast portion of the report, the puppy’s owner said she later found blood in a bathroom and what she described as a trail through the apartment, adding to her belief that the fall explanation was not true. The owner said she paid about $1,500 for a necropsy, and police said the findings supported the conclusion that Dixie’s injuries were not consistent with a fall.
Police said the arrest did not happen immediately after the puppy’s death. Officers responded in November, but the department said the warrant for Reda’s arrest on the aggravated animal cruelty allegation was issued Tuesday, and he was arrested Thursday. The department did not detail every step between the initial call and the warrant, but the press release tied the charge to the veterinary findings and the witness statements gathered during the investigation. The police account did not name a defense attorney for Reda, and it was not clear from the department’s statement whether he had legal representation at the time of the arrest.
The report’s broadcast text also described additional law enforcement activity involving Reda on the day Dixie died. Police said that when officers responded that day, Reda went to hide and was later found in an attic. Police said he was arrested then on two warrants for failing to appear in court on separate allegations, including battery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police said those allegations involved a 2023 incident in which Reda was accused of pointing a gun at a child’s father-in-law and threatening to kill him. Police did not state that those allegations were related to the puppy’s death, but they were included in the narrative of the response and Reda’s interactions with officers.
Animal cruelty cases can hinge on what investigators can prove about intent, timing and the cause of injuries. In this case, police said the dog’s injuries, the blood described inside the apartment and the statements attributed to Reda led them to seek a felony charge. Aggravated animal cruelty in Florida is typically treated more seriously than misdemeanor neglect cases, especially when the allegation involves severe injury or death. Police did not release additional evidence, such as photos from the scene or recordings of interviews, and they did not say whether the case involved any surveillance video from the property.
What comes next will likely be determined in court as prosecutors review the investigative file and prepare for hearings. Police did not provide a scheduled court date in the release, but the arrest means Reda’s case will move through initial appearance and pretrial steps in Collier County. Investigators have not said whether they expect additional witnesses to come forward or whether any further charges could be considered. The department has also not released a statement from prosecutors about how the case will be handled.
As of Monday, police said Reda had been arrested on the aggravated animal cruelty warrant issued Tuesday, and the investigation into Dixie’s death had entered the prosecution phase. The department said the initial 911 call was made in November at the Curlew Avenue address.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 9, 2026.