Nonfiction Nugget: When pets help solve crimes
Welcome to the next installment of my Nonfiction Nuggets series, which I share on the blog about every other month, in addition to my PI Posts, Character Coffee Chats and regular post updates. Today’s Nonfiction Nugget is about what happens when pets help solve crimes. I’ll be sharing some details about cases, so I would like to warn readers that the subject matter might be difficult for sensitive readers. Please take care as you read on and also be prepared, as some of the information I share might also offer spoilers to anyone who hasn’t yet read the Jorja Matthews mystery series.
Jorja became involved in a case in Ties That Bind, when she and her friend, Ruth, found a woman who had been murdered. Someone later came to Jorja for help, having become a suspect in the murder but claiming to be innocent. While I wasn’t sure in the beginning who the killer was going to be, I eventually figured it out as I dove deeper into creating the story (it happens that way for me sometimes). Not knowing exactly who the killer was is only one important tidbit I wasn’t privy to at the beginning. Later, I finally figured out exactly what evidence would tie the killer to the scene, and at what point a random discovery would help Jorja figure it out so that she could focus her attention on proving the identity of the killer.
Fur-ensic evidence…a new way to catch criminals
I don’t want to give too much away with regard to my story, but it did involve evidence left by a pet, which is why I thought I’d share more about this topic as a Nonfiction Nugget. Pets shed…we know this. But for humans who are capable of crimes and who also own pets, or have contact with victims who have pets, this could become their undoing. It’s an interesting topic when you factor in that a killer might believe they got away with something, only to be identified later because of a pet they had contact with.
DNA databases for cats and dogs
The transfer of evidence is common, but the type of transfer is unique to each crime. Blood and other bodily fluids, dirt, carpet fibers, and human hair are examples, and yes, pet hair can also be a potential piece of evidence that might lead to an arrest and conviction of a suspect. Both the U.S. and Britain have a cat and dog DNA database, which have been useful in assisting with the conviction of a number of suspects. I researched the topic of pet hair as evidence and thought I’d share a few cases that were interesting:
“Without the cat, the case falls flat”
In October 1994, a woman on Prince Edward Island vanished and four days later her vehicle was discovered a few miles from her residence. Testing of the blood found in the car was identified as the missing woman’s and when her common-law husband was questioned, he claimed to have no idea where she might be. Unable to make an arrest, investigators continued to search and eventually found a bag with a pair of shoes and a leather jacket, both of which were stained with the victim’s blood. However, there was no concrete evidence to prove either item of clothing belonged to the suspect. In addition to the blood, investigators also discovered twenty white hairs in the lining of the jacket and a lab test verified they were from a cat. One of the investigators recalled seeing a white cat at the house when they initially interviewed the suspect and even though animal DNA hadn’t been used as evidence during a murder case, they decided to give it a go. Testing revealed that the cat in question matched the DNA found on the hairs and the chance of another cat having the same profile was about 45 million to one. Not long after the test results, a fisherman discovered the victim’s body in a shallow grave about ten miles from where her vehicle was found. Using the evidence they had, police arrested the common-law husband for first-degree murder. While the cat DNA might not have been the smoking gun, it did assist in adding to the pile of evidence the state had against the suspect. After a two-month trial he was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years to life.
A purr-fect match
In July 2012, the body of a man was discovered on a beach in England, wrapped in a curtain. More than a handful of individual cat hairs were also found at the scene on the curtain and were taken to be analyzed. At the time, investigators did not have a system to cross-match animal hair DNA, so the hairs were sent to California for DNA analysis. Further testing and investigation were conducted and the police focused on the victim’s friend, who was also a neighbor. The friend was later charged after the victim’s blood was found at the suspect’s residence and the cat hairs found at the location where the body was dumped were a match to the suspect’s cat. It was the first time cat DNA had been used in a criminal case in the UK and it led to the beginning of a cat DNA database the country would use in future investigations.
Dog and cat-astrophic results for criminals
In October 2000, a woman disappeared after celebrating her 40th birthday at a bar in Iowa and seven months later, her remains were discovered by a fisherman after a spring flood. Her body had been burned, wrapped in fabric and buried near a creek bed. During the investigation, it was learned the victim had possibly been hanging out with a 24-year-old man the night of her disappearance. Cat hairs were discovered on the fabric used to wrap the victim’s body and further investigation and testing traced the fabric to the home of the suspect’s grandmother and the cat hairs to the grandmother’s three cats. An additional search also found traces of the victim’s blood in the suspect’s trunk. This was enough to charge the suspect, who later pled to an Alford plea to a reduced charge of second-degree murder.
In August 2002, an 82-year-old woman was found murdered in her Pennsylvania home. A suspect was later arrested after he used her credit card and had some of the victim’s jewelry in his possession. During the initial investigation at the crime scene, four dog hairs were discovered and the DNA from the hairs was later matched to a dog living in the suspect’s home. The case was set to go to trial, where the suspect could have received capital punishment if convicted, but the evidence was enough to result in a plea of first-degree murder where the suspect received life in prison instead.
In May 2006, the body of an 18-year-old woman was found in a wooded area in Florida, wrapped in a bed sheet and a shower curtain bound with duct tape. She was last seen alive in Miami and had been living in Florida less than six months after moving there from Colorado. The victim had a male friend who was investigated but cleared and the case went cold for three years until tests were performed on dog hairs obtained from the bed sheet. There was enough of a sample to put together a DNA profile and further investigation led investigators to dogs owned by a woman who lived across from the wooded area where the victim’s body was found. The DNA profile suggested that the dog hairs may have come from a sibling of the dogs the woman owned. The woman shared information about her former brother-in-law who had two pups from one of her dog’s litters and the murder case was in full swing again. Eventually, investigators were able to obtain DNA from the suspect, which matched to DNA on the shower curtain as well as the duct tape. But they wouldn’t have made it to that point if the dog hairs hadn’t led them to the witness who could ID a possible suspect. The case ended with the suspect being charged with first-degree murder but later pleading guilty to manslaughter.
In January 2008, the body of a man was found wrapped in a blanket and dumped in an alley in San Diego. Dog hairs were found on the blanket and tested and eventually were matched to the dog owned by the suspect’s mother. This suspect had already killed another individual a year and a half earlier and once he was linked to the San Diego alley victim via the dog hairs, other evidence from the scene linked him to the earlier crime so that he was convicted of both murders and received a life sentence plus an additional ten years.
The above case reviews are all samples of disturbing crimes humans can commit against each other. But they are also examples of how having an open and curious mind can lead to new ways to find answers when otherwise all might seem lost. These cases are examples of investigations that might have remained cold cases if pet hairs hadn’t steered law enforcement in the right direction. If pets could speak, I’m sure they’d be more than pleased with the fact that the very act of shedding might also help solve crimes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of my Nonfiction Nuggets series and that you’ll continue to follow my blog for additional posts. I will continue to share weekly posts that will include PI topics, Character Coffee Chats, and more Nonfiction Nuggets, as well as author musings and updates. You can also search the archives for any past blog topics you might be interested in reading about further.
Until next time, have a great week and happy reading.
