MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A dog stolen in Arizona was found on the side of a road in Loxley.

Loxley Police said the Australian Shepherd was reported missing from Phoenix in 2023 and was discovered dead off County Road 68 last Thursday.

“At that point, that’s when they had mentioned that they had him and it wasn’t in the way that we had expected,” said the dog’s owner Aubrey Garcia. “They had said that he had been found tied up on the side of a dirt road, and he had his mouth bound, and he was deceased.”

It was the worst news possible for Aubrey Garcia. A phone call from 1700 miles away delivered devastation. The Phoenix, Arizona woman heard what happened to Kiyo, her missing Australian Shepherd from a Loxley Police officer. The details were very disturbing.

Investigators said Kiyo had noticeable trauma to his body and a rope tied around his mouth.

“It’s like 1700 miles straight down the I-10,” said Garcia. “I mean when I looked it up, I was like Loxley…I never heard of Loxley, Alabama.”

Garcia said what happened to Kiyo was her worst nightmare after searching for him for almost two years. She said she will never forget the day he disappeared from their backyard.

“I went out into the backyard after cleaning out his box and realizing that only two of my dogs were home and panic set in very, very quickly,” she said.

Garcia said her family frantically searched the neighborhood for hours, but it wasn’t until a few days later when someone in the area reported seeing what looked to be Kiyo taken by someone in a black SUV. She said ring camera footage didn’t give them the answer they were looking for.

“We just couldn’t get a clear shot of the vehicle at the time because it was it was 10:30 at night at this point four-door black car couldn’t make out make a model,” she said. “All they could all they could see is that it was in a really beat-up condition and that’s really what we had to go off of.”

Loxley Police said a witness reported seeing a four door sedan in the area where Kiyo was found on Thursday. While detectives continue investigating, Garcia has a message for the person responsible for Kiyo’s death.

“You deserve everything, everything that’s going to happen if you’re caught because you had every opportunity for you to do the right thing and return him when we gave so many outlets to return him anonymously,” she said. “You could’ve left him to the side of that dirt road without his mouth being bound and maybe he would’ve made it home.”

Garcia said Kiyo’s remains will be cremated and sent back to Phoenix. Loxley Police are asking anyone with any information about what happened to Kiyo to come forward.

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Fans of the Arizona State football program have spent much of the last three decades on an emotional roller coaster. 

The continued patience is seemingly paying off in the present day. 

The program has built up unbelievable momentum less than three years removed from the Herm Edwards era – and people are noticing in the best terms possible.

Josh Pate of CBS Sports took to his podcast earlier in the week to touch on a wide variety of college football topics – including heavily praising Arizona State.

Pate was asked who “America’s team” is by a listener who cited his ongoing opinion that the Big 12 is ‘America’s conference’  – his response? 

Arizona State. 

“Yes. They’re in the Big 12. It’s Arizona State.”

“Number one, it’s not an SEC or Big Ten team. Not only is it not a power two program, it’s not Clemson or Notre Dame, or like Miami, but the program was left for dead.”

“I want to remind people that it’s not all that long ago that Herm Edwards was the head coach there and the program was going nowhere fast and then you’ve got the sanctions and you’ve got the firings and the program just spiraled into the desert and if you looked at it at the time you would have thought it’s going to be a decade before we ever hear anything about Arizona State football again.”

Pate then went on to heap praise onto head coach Kenny Dillingham, citing his passion for the program, overall loyalty, and overall likability as all the more reason that the Sun Devil football program is his answer when it comes to the ‘America’s team’ discussion.

Dillingham has undoubtedly cast a substantial amount of likability around the Arizona State program – his players respond well to his coaching, he has chosen a staff that works extremely well together, and his infectious energy has reflected in a resurgence in fan interest. 

The nation is beginning to catch on as well – as the near-upset over Texas in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day captivated viewers in what was one of the most watched games of the 2024 season. 

The bottom line? Arizona State is everything that is right with the modern landscape of college football. 

The program boasts a loyal fanbase. The roster is hungry and generally likable. Dillingham exhibits equal parts professionalism and passion. 

Lastly, they are quickly becoming the class of a conference that doesn’t carry the same baggage as the SEC or Big 10.

The future is bright in Tempe.

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The Perry Pumas’ boys high school volleyball team won its third 6A state championship in the past five seasons on May 17, at Skyline High School in Mesa.

Perry, the No. 1 seed in the AIA 6A tournament, defeated No. 2 Highland, 3-2. It was the third time Highland has finished 6A runner-up since 2022, including a 2023 loss to Perry for the title.

The Pumas finished the season undefeated in AIA play, its only losses this season coming against out-of-state teams during mid-season tournaments.

Perry was led this season by several key players, including three who are all in the top 10 in hitting percentage in 6A: senior Caden Ledbetter, junior Logan Gray and sophomore Greyson Carter. Ledbetter was also No. 8 in blocks in the conference.

Three other conference championships were played on May 17 at Skyline.

No. 1 seed Campo Verde defeated No. 2 Arizona College Prep, 3-2, to win the 5A championship in a battle of East Sky region rivals. The win was Campo Verde’s second boys’ volleyball championship. The Coyotes also won in 2019.

In the 4A championship match, No. 3-seed ALA Queen Creek won its third state championship, defeating No. 8 Salpointe Catholic, 3-0. The Patriots also won the 4A title in 2021 and 2022. During the playoff tournament, ALA Queen Creek defeated No. 2 seed ALA Gilbert North, which had defeated the Patriots twice in the regular season.

In the 3A championship, No. 2 Northwest Christian defeated No. 1 ALA West Foothills, 3-2, to win its first boys volleyball championship, after finishing runner-up three times since 2021. ALA West Foothills was undefeated entering Saturday’s championship, having defeated Northwest Christian in the final regular-season match.

Last year, Arizona College Prep defeated Northwest Christian to win the 2024 4A title. Saturday’s match marked the first-ever 3A championship in boys’ high school volleyball. The AIA opted to reshuffle teams and create more competitive balance by adding a fourth conference during the offseason, as more schools and programs have been added across the state.