UPDATE — Bryan Allen Parks confirmed to Denver7 on March 7 that Zuri had been returned home after 24 days away.
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It only took a matter of moments for Bryan Allen Parks to lose both his car and his dog, Zuri.
It happened when he was dropping of an Instacart order. Before he had made it up the steps, someone was driving his car away.
"They drove towards City Park, and I was running towards them and called 911. They took a left at City Park going towards 25th and that's the last thing I saw," said Parks. "I'm really just concerned about my dog, which is Zuri. She doesn't deserve this."
For the past 24 hours, he says he's been searching for Zuri and hoping that, if nothing else, she can be returned safe.
"I have just been a nervous wreck looking at my phone every second, seeing if anybody has any updates," Parks said. "I am in shock. I haven't really been able to sleep, barely ate."
He says he called the Denver Police Department immediately after the car was stolen, but says an investigator has not been assigned to the case.
"I followed up with them this morning and I got no answers. Called again this afternoon trying to persistently insist that I talk to the detective that was on the case," said Parks. "I just want one detective to come down here and kind of see what's going on."
Now, with little institutional assistance, Parks is seeking help on his own. He has posted to social media and mobilized Denverites and friends across the country to help find Zuri.
"I've got probably like, I don't even know, 30 to 60 people trying to find her, on top of the 63 shared posts that I have, and random strangers just keep on reaching out," Parks said. "We're about to have a bunch of people come into the neighborhood and canvass."
Parks is offering a $1,000 reward for Zuri's safe return. He is asking the thief to take the car but return his beloved pet.
"Please just do the right thing," he said. "She's an animal and she's innocent and she didn't do anything wrong."
In a response to Denver7, a spokesperson for Denver PD asked that anyone with information on the incident call the non-emergency number at 720-913-2000 or Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
