Armed men steal truck with beloved pet inside, cops say. Now, the ‘old baby’ is home

A “sweet” dog was in the cab of a truck when two men approached the owner at a gas station, beat him and drove off in his truck, Tennessee police said.

Zach Murphree pleaded for help finding his beloved dog, which he described as “the only family I have left.”

Now, Murphree and Hershey are reunited.

On June 1, Murphree was filling up his tank at a Shell gas station when two men approached him saying they had no gas and no money, the Memphis Police Department said in a June 4 news release.

Murphree filled up a gas jug for the men, but then they began to pistol-whip and beat him, police said.

They took his keys and fled in his Chevy Silverado, with his brown Labrador retriever in the back, according to the report.

In the days following the carjacking, Murphree shared a description of his missing dog online and described him as a “sweet soul” that loves playing in water and never growls.

“It’s just hard,” Murphree told WHBQ. “I miss him so much.”

Shortly before 8 a.m. on June 6, deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said they came across a lab fitting Hershey’s description and realized he was the dog taken in the carjacking.

He was found about 10 miles from the gas station, authorities said.

Murphree thanked everyone who helped share the word about Hershey, “especially Shelby Co Sheriff’s Office for the concern, the help and the motivation..my old baby is now back home,” he wrote online.

This story was originally published June 7, 2024 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Armed men steal truck with beloved pet inside, cops say. Now, the ‘old baby’ is home."