Missing Pet Partnership
Search Report
Case #08-001
DATE: 05/07/2008
PET NAME: Peaches
SPECIES: Feline
DESCRIPTION: 10-year-old Tortoise Shell (Black, brown, white) DSH spayed female wearing a red collar
LOCATION: 174th North Street, Redmond, WA
DATE & TIME LAST SEEN: Saturday 05/03/2008 Midnight
DATE & TIME OF INVESTIGATION: Wednesday 05/07/2008 10:30 a.m.
BACKGROUND
PEACHES was a limited-outdoor-access cat who was allowed free access outdoors during the daytime. At night, her GUARDIAN kept PEACHES locked in the house but permitted access outdoors through a small tunnel/cage attached to her back door. On Saturday May 3, the GUARDIAN had house guests until late at night. At midnight, they realized they had not seen PEACHES for hours. The GUARDIAN checked the tunnel/cage and discovered that it had been knocked away from the door, presumably by the family dog.
The GUARDIAN immediately went outdoors and started checking the area for PEACHES. She took the family dog with her and told the dog to "Find Peaches," which the dog often did. On the cul-de-sac next to their home, within PEACHES' territory, the family dog located several tufts of white fur on the pavement and dirt next to the roadway, located approximately 50 yards from the GUARDIAN'S home. Immediately the GUARDIAN suspected the tufts of fur were caused by a coyote since they have routinely seen coyotes in the area. However, the GUARDIAN was hopeful since PEACHES was primarily brown, orange, and black with major portions of white on her belly.
The following morning, the GUARDIAN returned to the tufts of fur and discovered several brown and black hair fibers as well as three shed claw sheaths. The GUARDIAN now suspected that the fur could belong to PEACHES. She and her husband conducted an extensive search of the area but they did not find PEACHES, any more tufts of fur, or her red collar. They placed a lost cat notice on petfinders.com and on 5/6/08 contacted Missing Pet Partnership after learning about our lost pet services.
INVESTIGATION:
On May 7, I (KAT ALBRECHT), MPP volunteer PAM O'BRIEN, and cat detection dog SADIE responded to Redmond to search for PEACHES. We met the GUARDIAN, who showed us the area where she located the tufts of fur (which the GUARDIAN had removed but preserved). We located residual hair fibers consistent with cat hair in the dirt area next to the pavement. We checked for disturbances in the dirt, more nail sheathes, and any signs of blood but we could not find any of these.
Next, we used cat detection dog SADIE and searched the high probability areas for PEACHES. We conducted our investigation hoping that we would find an injured cat, more evidence (including more tufts of fur or even her red collar), or hopefully just a panicked cat who had been chased by a predator and was hiding nearby in fear. We searched within a block radius looking under decks, around houses, in dumpsters, in wooded areas, down drainages, and along two greenbelt areas, (pathways the GUARDIAN knew coyotes frequented). We used a high-power spotlight and an amplified listening device, interviewed witnesses, and used SADIE's talents. SADIE located two neighbor cats, but there was no sign or evidence of PEACHES during our 90-minute search.
After our search, we returned to the site of the hair fibers on the side of the road. We sprayed Luminol in an attempt to detect bloodstains with negative results. Because Luminol is best used in total dark conditions (and it was daytime but overcast), we are not certain whether the test failed or there was no blood present.
Next, we examined the hair fiber evidence. The GUARDIAN showed us the tufts of fur and the three claw sheathes that she found on the road by her house. I observed that some of the strands of fur were clumped together in a manner consistent with hair fiber grouping dampened by predatory saliva. I did not see any blood on the fur.
Prior to our arrival, we asked the GUARDIAN to search the house for a control sample (fur, claw sheath, or whisker) that she was certain came from PEACHES. The GUARDIAN found a shed whisker on PEACHES' bedding. We packaged the tufts of fur and claw sheathes (found on the road) along with the known whisker from PEACHES and packaged them for DNA testing. I contacted the Genetics Lab at U.C. Davis and was given an estimate ($700.00) to perform a DNA test of the found fur tufts with a comparison test to the known DNA from PEACHES. The GUARDIAN was taking time to decide whether she wanted to invest in this testing.
On May 15, the GUARDIAN contacted MPP stating they had decided against having the DNA test performed. There had been no sightings, leads, or further evidence found of Peaches. They requested that the hair fibers and claw sheathes be returned. Samples were packaged and returned on May 16, 2008.
STATUS:
Suspended pending further leads.
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