ROMEO, Mich. — Investigators are searching for a suspect after a bag of baby rabbits was found in Macomb Township, Michigan, last week.

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The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office said last Monday around 7 p.m., a deputy was called out regarding an animal complaint. The caller reportedly told dispatch that he saw a plastic bag thrown from a car video and that the bag had baby rabbits inside.

When the deputy arrived in the area, the bag was located and it was tied up and airtight, the sheriff’s office said.

“I see this big plastic mound. It’s moving. I look down at it. I see a little bunny’s head poked out. Its little nose is twitching. It’s suctioned around this guy’s neck, no oxygen, rip out my key, tear into the bag, get these bunnies out. There’s eight of ’em in there,” Deputy Taylor Dibble told WXYZ.

Deputies then contacted the Detroit Animal Welfare Group, according to the news outlet. The organization took the rabbits.

Detroit Animal Welfare Group Director Kelly LaBonty said that the rabbits were about one to two weeks old, according to WXYZ. At that age, they are usually unable to live on their own without their mother or any rehab intervention.

“So, they were put in an incubator to keep warm and we’re feeding them regular food for the bunnies and we will keep them until they’re about almost one month old and then they’re ready for release,” LaBonty said, according to the news outlet. One of the rabbits did die.

“Being able to take this hopeless call, really, and finding these super super small babies, giving them to this facility and getting hope back from it, it’s everything,” Dibble said.

A suspect was identified as a younger to middle-aged man, according to the sheriff’s office. He was seen driving in a red Chevrolet. The witness told investigators that they had seen him in the area previously.

“The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office takes situations of animal abuse and mistreatment very seriously,” said Sheriff Wickersham. “I commend Deputy Taylor Dibble for diligently answering the call and giving these animals a chance at life.”

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