South Korean police on Tuesday said it is investigating a claim that a man in his twenties had threatened to kill his former girlfriend's dog, after being dumped by the woman.

Gimpo Police Station in Gyeonggi Province received a report from woman on Saturday that her dog has gone missing. According to the victim, she had recently ended her romantic relationship with a man, who had also threatened to kill her dog, a female Maltese by the name of Jenny.

The suspect sent her a photo of a garbage bag with the dog inside, writing, "Jenny is dying because of you." The victim called the suspect several times and asked if the dog was alive or where he had abandoned her, but he refused to answer her questions.

Police did not find Jenny inside the home of the suspect, who told police that he had abandoned the dog.

Police found surveillance footage that showed the suspect threw away the garbage bag in question in the streets of Gurae-dong, Gimpo at around 8 p.m. on Saturday, and came back 10 minutes later to collect the bag. Officials said they are investigating the case for potential dating violence or animal abuse.

Killing an animal without just cause is punishable by up to three years in prison, according to the Animal Protection Act.

The case was first publicized when Hacsamo, a local animal rights group working to fight animal abuse, shared the story on its Instagram account on Monday.