The state’s Animal Welfare Program has launched an independent investigation into the death of Baxter, a 3-year-old comfort dog who died last month inside a state vehicle.

Baxter, a chocolate Labrador retriever who joined the Maine Bureau of Emergency Communications in 2022, was the state’s first official comfort dog. He was found deceased around 2 p.m. on May 28 at the Bangor Regional Communications Center after the vehicle he was in “unexpectedly” stopped running, according to a previous statement from Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety.

The department conducted an initial review in the wake of Baxter’s death. At the time, they were inspecting the condition of the state vehicle that Baxter was regularly transported in for “potential malfunctions that may have led it to unexpectedly stop running, which caused the vehicle’s air conditioning to cease operating,” Moss said.

The Animal Welfare Program, part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, will conduct interviews and onsite investigations and collect evidence while coordinating with law enforcement agencies and veterinarians, according to an update provided by Moss on Wednesday. They will also explore “potential enforcement actions” in conjunction with district attorneys, she said.

Information uncovered through the public safety department’s initial review has been passed on to investigators, Moss said.

Baxter was rescued as a puppy and trained by a nonprofit in New Hampshire, Hero Pups, that pairs trained dogs with veterans and first responders.

Founder Laura Barker said the organization was “heartbroken” from the loss in the days after Baxter’s death.

“We know that Baxter was loved his whole time on Earth,” she said in an interview last month. “He also helped a lot of people while he was here.”

The investigation is ongoing and no further details are available, Moss said.