Aurora man mourns dog's death after leaving him in care of pet sitter who remains missing

An Aurora man whose dog was stolen while he was on military deployment is now grieving the loss of his furry friend.

"I was hoping that Maverick was still alive. I need my buddy back," said Beckham.

Maverick is Beckham's 11-year-old Siberian Husky, whose story went viral on social media after Beckham, a military airman, said a man he entrusted to watch Maverick disappeared with his dog and car.  

Beckham was deployed for three months with the Colorado Air National Guard. Prior to his deployment, he said he went online to TrustedHousesitters.com where he hired Andrew Jansen to take care of Maverick at his home in Aurora. At first, Beckham said Jansen sent updates and photos, but after a month he went silent. In early April, security cameras captured Jansen leaving with Maverick in Beckham's Subaru- he never returned. 

"Maverick was a really good friend. He wasn't necessarily a howler husky. He was talkative. He would talk sentences to you sometimes," said Beckham.

On Saturday, Beckham got the call that Denver police located his vehicle in a parking garage off Logan Street. Maverick's body was inside.

"He was trapped in the car for a long time," said Beckham. "He had a lot of blood on his face. They're still trying to figure out why and what happened."

Beckham says he's grateful for those across social media who showed their support for Maverick's safe return.

"I know that there are people who care. I just have a hard time dealing with it right now," he said.   

While he focuses on honoring his best friend's life, he's also determined to work with the police to find the dog sitter he entrusted to keep Maverick safe.

"If he were house-sitting again, I think people need to know. If he's using other agencies, people need to know. Because he made Maverick suffer a lot," he said.

Beckham hopes other dog owners practice caution when hiring anyone to care for their best friend.

"Do yourself a favor and just pay some extra money to do a background check on somebody," he said.