Mutilated cats in FL

http://www.crimestoppersmiami.com/
South Florida
Thursday, 06.11.09
SOUTH MIAMI-DADE
3 more cats found dead in South Miami-Dade; reward rises
Three more mutilated cats have been found in Southwest Miami-Dade. Residents and police wonder who has been carrying out such heinous crimes.
BY JOSE PAGLIERY AND HOWARD COHEN
hcohen@MiamiHerald.com
The mutilated bodies of three cats were found in Southwest Miami-Dade this week, adding to the dozens that were already maimed and killed this month by an apparent serial cat killer.

The bizarre crime spree has left residents of Cutler Bay and Palmetto Bay reeling as cats have been found skinned and gutted, left dead on their owners' lawns.

And the killer -- or killers -- continue to elude investigators.

''This man is getting bolder and bolder. The cat that was found this morning was skinned from the waist down, and that takes longer and longer. It is very frustrating and it is heart wrenching,'' says Dee Chess, founder of Friends Forever Animal Rescue in Palmetto Bay.

The latest incidents happened on Memorial Day when two cats were found mutilated, one at Southwest 173rd Street and 88th Avenue and the other at 165th Street and 92nd Avenue.

A third cat was found Tuesday morning by its Palmetto Bay owner, John Wellons, in the area of Southwest 174th Street and 92nd Avenue.

According to police, the cat's belly had been sliced from front to rear. Its skinned corpse was found on the southwest portion of Wellons' side yard.

He last saw his cat alive Monday at 7 p.m., police said. By daybreak Tuesday, it was lying dead in his yard. The Wellons family could not immediately be reached by telephone.

According to residents, the cats' butchered bodies have been left like mangled trophies on their owners' yards since early May. Research in psychology and criminology has shown that individuals who commit such acts of cruelty to animals often graduate to harming humans.

''Doing this to an animal is as serious as doing it to a person. Everyone is at risk -- animals and their families alike,'' said Cindy Hewitt, former executive director of Cat Network and current free-roaming cat coordinator with the Humane Society.

Authorities are warning residents to keep their cats indoors at night when these killings seem to be taking place.

To help in the effort, the Cat Network (305-255-3482) has offered to lend residents cat traps to help care for stray cats. Residents are also urged to keep outside lights on or connected to a motion detector.

Last week, the Humane Society of the United States announced a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in what it called ``serial cat killings.''

The reward was increased to $3,500 via Crime Stoppers. Tax-deductible donations are also being accepted to increase the reward amount.

Miami-Dade police are investigating, with the assistance of the county's animal services division.

Detective Bobby Williams, a Miami-Dade police spokesman, said investigators are looking for people to come forward with information about the killings. ''However small the information might be, it might be something we can use in the investigation,'' he said.

One problem that has hampered the investigation is that victims have removed the evidence -- the bodies -- before calling the police.

''I can appreciate the emotion behind that, but police need to examine the crime scene,'' Hewitt says.

``It's just as important with an animal murder as with a human. If you find an animal that may be a victim, don't touch it.''

Instead, experts ask that residents call 305-4POLICE immediately and cover the animal with a plastic bag, rather than cloth, which can taint evidence. Do not move the body or place it inside a bag.

Residents are also mobilizing by distributing fliers at local veterinary clinics, pet stores and other high-traffic businesses in the two communities.

''I'm still surprised by how many people don't know about this,'' Hewitt says.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Or they can call Miami-Dade Detective Dominick Columbro at 305-234-4237 or Miami-Dade Animal Services Investigator Fernando J. Casadevall Jr. at 305-884-1102, ext. 240. To make a donation, checks should be made out to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers and Donation-Cats should be printed in the subject line. Mail checks to 1030 NW 111 Ave., Miami, Fl., 33172.