BOSTON -- Nantucket police are still searching for someone who killed a dog during a house party by turning on a washing machine with the animal inside.

The incident happened on Cliff Road during a party that started on July 22 and went into the next day, according to police. The dog, a small Yorkshire terrier named Sammi, was killed.

"This case remains open regardless of the current lack of information being provided to us," said Nantucket Police Chief William Pittman. "The severity of this crime is horrific, and Sammi deserves justice. There is no excuse for the killing of a defenseless family pet."

The investigation, headed by the Nantucket Police Department with the assistance of MSPCA Law Enforcement, has yet to produce a suspect following interviews with guests at the party where the dog was killed.

Officials said that animal cruelty is a felony under state law and punishable by a jail sentence of up to five years and fines of up to $2,500.

"Unfortunately, we have investigated many horrific acts of animal cruelty and while methods may change the motivation and end result remain the same -- to harm or kill,” said MSPCA Director of Law Enforcement Peter Gollub. "We continue to aid the Nantucket Police Department in their investigation, and we remain positive that a witness will do what is right and come forward."

Anyone with information was urged to call the Nantucket Police Department Hotline at 508-228-3626, or MSPCA Law Enforcement at 800-628-5808.