Chesterfield County Sheriff Sam Parker tells NewsChannel 15 he is investigating the deaths of four German Shepherd puppies found in the middle of Peach Orchard Road in Pageland last week.

Parker says a man and his wife found the puppies and immediately called the Pageland Police Department. The investigation was then handed to the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department.

Parker says from the way the pups were spaced on the road, it looks as if they could have been thrown from a car, but he isn't 100 percent sure of that just yet.

He also isn't sure if the dogs were dead or alive before they were thrown from a car, if that's the case.

Parker says the incident is absolutely awful.

Sheriff Parker tells NewsChannel 15 he is actively investigating this incident to track down the person or persons responsible.

He says they will be prosecuted to the full extent of animal cruelty charges in South Carolina.

Animal Control investigators have talked with people who live near the Peach Orchard Road area to see if they may have seen or heard anything.

If you have any information, you're asked to call the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Department at (843) 623-2101.