Three dogs found dead inside moving van parked in Mattapan

Three dogs were found dead in a U-Haul in Mattapan Tuesday, according to Boston police.

Police responded to the truck on Edgewater Drive, which had “a terrible smell and bugs inside,” the police report said. The van was unlocked and was not reported stolen, police said.

The van had reportedly been parking around the neighborhood for at least a week

“For like weeks, until we smell something really really bad, like a dead body,” one neighbor told WCVB, who reported that the dogs were pit bull mixes.

An Animal Control officer arrived and found three medium-sized dogs inside the van. They were deceased and bloated, the report said.

Boston police heard from multiple neighbors that they heard barking from the van during the Fourth of July fireworks. One neighbor said they had seen the dogs alive earlier this week. Officers said there was no paperwork in the U-Haul to identify the rentee.

Another neighbor said someone uses the truck for work and moves it everyday. He said he saw the man with a dog on Monday, according to the police report.

Police reported that Animal Control removed the dogs, and the U-Haul was towed to be investigated. The investigation is ongoing, police said, and anyone with information should call detectives at (617) 343-5607.