Dog found dead, one still missing
Mission Bay, CA (US)Incident Date: Wednesday, May 4, 2005
County: San Diego
Disposition: Open
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
Case Updates: 1 update(s) available
San Diego police began investigating a case of suspected animal cruelty on June 26, 2005 involving two dogs that went missing on Fiesta Island in Mission Bay.
Celeste Mann recently found one of her dogs buried vertically in the sand, and now she is trying to find who is responsible.
A necropsy of Angel, an 11-year-old cattle dog mix found June 13 buried up to her chin, didn't reveal how she died because her body was too decomposed.
"We cannot determine how long the dog had been buried," said Jim Wright, regional director of the county's Department of Animal Services, which investigated the incident.
Wright said it was clear that a person – and not a natural event – buried Angel. It took workers about two hours to dig up the dog's body.
"It's a little bit gray, but there are some suspicious circumstances," said police Sgt. Mark Heacox, who met with Mann last night.
Mann and her friend Bo Hejzler brought Angel and the dog's 10-year-old buddy, Spirit, an orange dingo mix, to Fiesta Island nearly every afternoon. The dogs loved chasing squirrels and romping around the sandy dunes.
"It was their turf," Mann said.
And they were pampered. Spirit liked eating organic raw beef with kibble. Angel preferred organic chicken marinated in lemon juice.
On May 4, Mann and Hejzler were walking down a trail on Fiesta Island when the dogs chased something over a ridge and disappeared. It was the last time they saw Angel alive, and Spirit is still missing.
They searched the island until after midnight that night and every day for the next several weeks.
Then, more than a month later, Mann heard from Lynn Wheeler, who lives in Point Loma and was walking on the same trail when she saw a tiny head with fur and a black nose.
Wheeler recognized Angel from signs Mann had placed around the island.
Mann and Hejzler went the next morning with a cardboard box, shovels and a letter to Angel. Her body was so decomposed, it would fall apart when they tried to dig it out. So Mann buried the dog's head and placed quartz and amethyst crystals and a makeshift cross to mark the spot.
Workers with Animal Services removed Angel's body, but her tan fur is still scattered around the big hole that remains about 25 feet from the trail.
Stacey LoMedico, a spokeswoman for the city's Park and Recreation Department, said department employees regularly patrol the island, and there have been no other reports of missing dogs or strange events.
Anyone with information is urged to call San Diego police at (858) 552-1700. If you have information on this case, please contact:
San Diego Police Department
(858) 552-1700
Case UpdatesSan Diego Animal Advocates is offering a reward of $1000 for info leading to arrest and conviction of those responsible for theft/killing of two dogs from
Fiesta Island. | | Update posted on Jun 29, 2005 - 11:25PM |
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