A Southern California widow experienced a devastating loss during a burglary at her Covina home, where not only were her treasured possessions stolen, but her cherished dog was also killed.

“They took my jewelry, my money,” Monica Lopez lamented. “They took everything.”

For 30 years, Lopez considered her Covina residence a sanctuary. However, the recent break-in shattered that sense of security.

The 76-year-old returned from a family gathering late on Thanksgiving night to discover a side gate ajar, a window shattered, and her so-called “blessing room” completely ransacked.

“It’s incredibly tough to receive such a call on Thanksgiving, a day meant for gratitude and family,” her son expressed, recounting the moment he learned of the break-in at his mother’s house.

Jewelry, mementos and even the money she set aside for next month’s mortgage were all gone.

“I cannot believe it. I cannot understand,” Lopez said.

Still, Lopez says none of that compares to what she lost next.

“Why kill my dog? Why kill my dog?” Lopez asked through tears.

Her dog, Rocky – her companion and protector since her husband died – was missing after the burglars left the backyard gate open.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies say Rocky was found a few streets away with severe head trauma. The family believes he ran after the burglars and was either hit by a car or killed while protecting his house.

“Such, you know, cold-hearted people to do that to someone and an animal and someone elderly, to target them or watch them just for a few bucks,” the victim’s son said.

The family says strange things have been happening for weeks — people banging on their windows in the middle of the night and running off when they realized Lopez was home.

They live in unincorporated Covina and wonder what could have made them a target.

“Plus, I think being in the corner house, many people find… I don’t know. We’ve had incidents here, and there’s a lot of homeless in this area, so you never know,” the victim’s son said.

Detectives said they would return Monday to fingerprint the home. For now, there’s no suspect description and no arrests.

Even with thousands of dollars and her wedding rings gone, what hurts the most is the loss of Lopez’s loyal friend, Rocky, who ran towards danger to protect the home they shared.

The Lopez Family says they hope investigators gather enough evidence to identify a suspect soon.

They have also set up a GoFundMe page to help replace what was stolen.