Is the NJ K-9 death case over or not? Officials send conflicting messages

☑️The Attorney General's Office won't update the Fire Marshal K-9 Ember investigation

☑️Gloucester County official said the case is closed, but the AG will not confirm

☑️The case received rewned attention after the deaths of two Salem County Sheriff's Office K-9s

MANTUA — Has New Jersey quietly ended its investigation into the death of Gloucester County Fire Marshal K-9 Ember without filing charges? Or is the case still open?

That question has become the latest controversy surrounding the nearly four-year-old investigation after Gloucester County officials publicly said the Attorney General's Office informed them the case was over — only for the Attorney General's Office to refuse to confirm that claim and instead insist it does not discuss the status of investigations.

The confusion comes just days after Salem County prosecutors filed criminal charges against a sheriff's K-9 handler following the deaths of K-9s Rip and Boomer, prompting renewed questions about why the Ember case has remained unresolved for years.

Fire Marshal K-9 Ember died in August 2022 while inside a county-issued Chevrolet Tahoe assigned to Gloucester County Fire Marshal Shawn Layton. Layton's personal dog also died in the vehicle.

Layton later buried both dogs in his backyard beneath a memorial that included a ceremonial fire hydrant.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office referred the investigation to the Attorney General's Office in 2023. Since then, state officials have released no findings and announced no charging decision.

ALSO READ: PETA wants Salem County to end K-9 program after deaths

Former Gloucester County K9 Ember

County says case is over. State won't say.

After New Jersey 101.5 sought an update following the Salem County charges, Attorney General's Office spokesman Dan Prochilo responded Wednesday evening with a standard statement.

"Our office has a longstanding practice of not providing status updates on investigations or publicly announcing declinations. Anyone with information about potentially criminal conduct that violates the public trust in connection with these allegations or any other matter are encouraged to contact the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, or make a confidential report to OPIA via our tip line at 1-844-OPIA-TIP (1-844-674-2847)," Prochilo said.

That response appeared to conflict with comments attributed to Gloucester County Counsel Eric Campo.

NJ.com reported Thursday that Campo said the county had been notified by the Attorney General's Office that the investigation had ended.

"Gloucester County was informed by the state Attorney General's Office that the case is closed and no charges have been or will be filed," Campo told NJ.com.

Campo did not respond Friday to New Jersey 101.5's request to confirm or clarify that statement.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office referred all questions to the Attorney General's Office.

New Jersey Globe later reported Friday that the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability had not closed the investigation.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Michael Symons told New Jersey 101.5 the office stood by Prochilo's original statement and offered no further clarification.

Renewed scrutiny after Salem County charges

The conflicting statements have fueled criticism from Gloucester County Commissioner Chris Konawel, who questioned why county officials would say the case had been closed if the Attorney General's Office would not publicly acknowledge that decision.

"Why was the public told the case was closed? This entire situation is unacceptable. The public deserves transparency, not confusion. Accountability, not excuses," Konawel said.

"Enough delays. Enough hiding. Enough hoping people stop asking questions."

The controversy intensified after Salem County prosecutors charged Sgt. Cody Henderson on Tuesday in connection with the deaths of sheriff's K-9s Rip and Boomer, less than two months after the dogs were found dead in his patrol vehicle.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom