Charges: Spurned love prompts Mpls. woman to steal, drown dog

Fueled by unrequited love, a Minneapolis pet rescue worker stole another woman's dog and drowned it in a marsh, according to charges.

Elizabeth R. Osterbauer, 24, was charged Friday in Hennepin County District Court with burglary, accused of breaking into the woman's house and killing her dog.

Osterbauer remained jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail. A defense attorney for her had yet to be listed in court records.

The woman whose dog was killed, Shelly Byzewski, said Monday, that Osterbauer was professing love for her. "I told her I was never going to feel the same way. She'd say, 'That's OK. That's OK.' "

Byzewski said that Osterbauer's stalking included following her home from work, repeatedly driving around the block where she lives and dumping paint on her car.

"I left town because I couldn't handle it," said Byzewski, who found refuge in North Dakota and has since returned. "I had to get away."

According to the Better Business Bureau, Elizabeth "Libby" Osterbauer is listed as owner/manager of Minneapolis-based Close to Home Canine Rescue, LLC.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police arrived at Byzewski's home, just north of the Twin Cities airport, on June 6 to investigate a burglary reported by someone watching the home while she was out of town.

Kitty litter was strewn about inside and used to plug up a toilet, sending water into other rooms. Also, files on two dogs once owned by Byzewski were missing.

The friend watching the home said Osterbauer had developed "romantic feelings" for Byzewski after the two met through a Minneapolis dog rescue agency.

Six months later, the friend watching the home told police that she saw Osterbauer kill Byzewski's dog after torturing the miniature Pinscher.

Another witness told police that she saw Osterbauer use a hidden key to get in Byzewski's home in December 2015 and took the dog from the residence. That witness said Osterbauer went to a park or wildlife refuge and killed the dog "by stomping on it before drowning it in a marsh," the complaint read.

Byzewski said that 3-year-old Ducky MoMo's remains have never been located.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482