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 On June 16, 2009 we lost a member of our family, Missy. My daughter was just returning home from college for the weekend. I was driving up our driveway when I heard my daughter's scream. She had walked in our front door to find Missy; bloody and fighting for her life. We rushed Missy to the veterinarian thinking that she had been hit by a car. But we were too late. Upon examining Missy the doctor found that Missy's hair had been cut with scissors. Her back leg and been cut open and the muscle removed. She had round circles that appeared to be burnt or cut out all over one side of her body. She had many more injuries that appeared to be deliberately executed. It was concluded that Missy was a victim of torture. We rushed home to check on our other pets and filed a report with the sheriff's department. The doctor had stated that he would hold Missy's remains until the sheriff's department concluded their investigation.
I would love to be able to say that local law enforcement was able to investigate and find the culprit(s) responsible for Missy's death, but that was not the case. Unfortunately there wasn't an investigation, only a report. Law enforcement did not go see the torture Missy endured, nor did they collect any evidence, such as pictures. We were told the case would remain open, but that no further action would be taken unless we found a suspect. Over two weeks after Missy's death we brought her home and laid her to rest. We have cried many tears since her passing. We have struggled with many questions: Why the police didn't question neighbors. Why the public wasn't notified in case other pets had been tortured but were unreported, mistakenly thinking, as we did, that their pet had been struck by a vehicle? Why someone would do this to her? Is this person going to devastate another family? Is this person(s) next victim going to be a pet or will they escalate to humans? Unfortunately, a pet's death is often treated as a property crime and not a crime of violence. Missy's death was a crime of violence. Crimes against animals often are a precursor to violent crimes against persons.  Missy's case remains unsolved. We will never know if the perpetrator of this crime would have been found if neighbors had been questioned, or further investigation done on Missy's body. Missy's family did the right thing by bringing Missy to the vet and contacting law enforcement. They also followed up by calling Animal Control and the Sheriff's department, and documenting their findings. They worked with local animal welfare groups to offer a reward for information leading to the conviction of Missy's abuser. Now they are trying to move on, unfortunately without closure, and put the pain behind them. It is their sincere hope that others may learn from their experience - how to protect their pets and advocate for the prosecution of animal cruelty to the fullest extent of the law.
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Sequoia Humane Society
