CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, S.C. — A severely malnourished pit bull found abandoned in a trash bag has died despite veterinary efforts to save her, prompting local officials and animal advocates to call for stronger animal cruelty penalties.

Officer Jack McGovern, an animal control deputy with the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office , discovered the gray and white pit bull and named her Nova, hoping for "a new beginning, a new life."

"She was very malnourished, you could tell immediately she was skin and bones," McGovern said.

Despite community donations and veterinary care, Nova died from her injuries.

Sheriff Cambo Streater said the case highlights the need for legislative change in South Carolina.

"I think there is a lot of intentionality when people dispose of animals alive and dead and

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