The mystery of a missing dog in southern Anne Arundel County came closer to a resolution Thursday when a 70-year-old man was charged with fatally shooting his neighbor’s pet.

Robert Anthony Harley, of Harwood, faces two counts of animal cruelty, court records show, in connection with the shooting death of an 11-month-old Belgian Malinois named Maisie.

Harley does not have an attorney listed in court records, and it’s unclear whether he has been served with charging papers. The misdemeanors carry a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Detectives wrote in charging documents that Harley told them he believed the dog to be a coyote “and felt the need to protect himself/family members.”

The dog’s owner, Shannon Smith-Wood, did not respond immediately to a message requesting comment. In a previous interview, she denounced any hatred directed at Harley in light of his identity being revealed online.

“They’re getting death threats, which I think is crazy,” Smith-Wood said. “This isn’t about revenge. This isn’t about anyone trying to hurt anybody. This is about: Don’t let this ever happen again. People, pay attention.”

Smith-Wood and her family launched an extensive search after Maisie slipped out of the house on Easter Sunday, posting photos of their beloved puppy online in hopes neighbors would see her. She also hired two drone pilots to scan the area’s farms and woods with thermal cameras to pick up her heat signature.

During the frantic search, a friend sent Smith-Wood a video apparently depicting someone coming across Maisie. The video went viral when Smith-Wood posted it online.

In the video, a vehicle drives toward an intersection. An animal is visible through some foliage. A woman and a child debate whether the animal is a dog. Then, a man places a phone call.

“Hey, there’s a coyote out here. Pop, where the shotty at, man? I’m gonna drop him,” the man says.

They continue to describe the animal’s movements and appearance, noting Maisie’s “black face.”

“He’s definitely not afraid of us,” the man says. “He’s not running. He’s curious, which is the sketchy part.”

The man in the video was Harley’s son, according to charging documents. Investigators spoke to both men to determine what happened next.

Harley, detectives wrote, “retrieved a shotgun and watched the animal’s shadow go back and forth in the woods alongside his driveway and the roadway, all he could see was ears. (Harley) shot the animal twice, killing it. The animal did not display any aggression.”

Hunting coyotes is legal year round in Maryland as long as the person has a hunting license, which costs $35 and requires completing a safety course, and furbearer permit, which costs another $5, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Anne Arundel County Police say Harley had neither a license or a permit. They also say he shot Maisie on county land. It’s unclear whether hunting is allowed there.

Maryland Natural Resources Police spokesman Hunter Dortenzo, who previously disclosed that agency also was investigating the shooting, said he did not anticipate it issuing additional charges.

In a previous email Dortenzo said a key principle of hunter education is knowing your target.

“There is no excuse for wounding or killing an animal you can’t identify,” he wrote.

Smith-Wood said she confronted Harley’s family, who live about a mile away from her, after seeing the video.

“They made up a story that a coyote chased her off instead of saying, ‘Oh my God, I am so sorry, we were scared. We thought it was a coyote. This is what happened,’” Smith Wood recalled.

They continued searching — until Smith-Wood’s daughter received a phone call April 22 and relayed the information to her.

“She said, ‘I don’t know how to tell you this. But this guy just called me that did the video and said his dad shot her,’” Smith-Wood recalled. “I couldn’t talk. No words. And then I’m like, ‘Is she dead?’”

Smith-Wood said she told her daughter to tell the man she wouldn’t press charges if Maisie’s remains were returned. She maintained that position in an interview on April 25, saying she wanted to bury Maisie in her yard next to the family’s late German shepherd Lexi.

Harley told detectives that he was sure the dog was dead, but apparently did not disclose what happened to its remains.

According to charging documents, detectives noted that “leaves were blood soaked” in the area where Harley said he shot Maisie, “however the dog remains were missing.”

“No one on scene knew the whereabouts of the dogs remains,” detectives wrote.

Anne Arundel County Police spokesman Marc Limansky said authorities still have not located the remains.

“If anyone has any information about where the dog may be, please call our district detectives at 410-222-1960,” Limansky said.

This article has been updated.