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UPDATE: Police Say Dead Dog In Oven Is Domestic-Related Incident

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (CBS) -- An Arlington Heights family returned home from a two-day vacation on the 4th of July to find their home burglarized and their dog lying dead in the oven -- a gruesome act police now say was domestic-related.

The family had gone off on vacation from their home in the 1500 block of West Roanoke Drive in Arlington Heights on July 2. A neighbor checked on the home late in the evening of July 3, and the family returned home late the following morning, according to Arlington Heights police Sgt. Rick Kappelman said.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding reports

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When the family returned, they found the home burglarized, even though there was no sign of forced entry.

The family found about $3,000 worth of jewelry gone, and initially, they thought the burglars had stolen their dog too, Kappelman said.

But the following morning, a family member made a gruesome discovery upon opening the convection oven in the kitchen. The dog, a Cavachon whose age police did not know, was lying dead inside.

The Daily Herald reports the dog's name was Coco.

Police confirm it's a domestic case and the person of interest is an ex-boyfriend who was out on bond from a previous domestic charge, WBBM Newsradio reports.

The 9-year-old daughter found the dog, and sources say the necropsy showed the microwave had been turned on at some point. There was no word on whether the dog was dead before it was put in the oven.

Police believe the crime occurred sometime between about 11 p.m. on July 3 and early July 4.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.

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