Search Dogs South

Case Studies

Case Study 2000

Our first crime scene investigation was in 2000 and resulted in 3 life without parole convictions for murder. We were called by a police department and asked if we could help with a home invasion, rape/murder. They had a suspect in jail, on other charges, but could not put him at the crime scene.

Our honest reply was “we aren’t sure, but we’ll try”. We asked to be taken to a location between x miles from the crime scene on a path the suspect would have had to travel to get to the crime scene. The suspect gladly gave up his t-shirt, saying that the dog would set him free. The dog, Miss Hadley, was scented and went to a mobile home, then to a tree in the mobile home park, she then headed to the street and made a turn. A critical element of success for us is the willingness of the police to shut down any road we needed closed to allow the dog to work the trail. Hadley took us to an intersection, ran across the street and through a big hedge and under the crime scene tape. She went to the back door and asked to go in. This was her indication she thought the suspect was inside.

She was asked to continue. She took us to another neighborhood and to the back of a house and jumped up on a window.

This process took us about 2 hours, in the heat. The handler told police that the dog needed to rest. They were pleased with what Hadley had given.

They explained that the mobile home that Hadley went to was the home of the girl friend of the suspect and he had been staying there. The tree was where the suspect, and a group of men, and stood before the crime. The house was the crime scene and Hadley confirmed that the suspect had entered and departed from the back door. Police had already confirmed this. The house she took us to next was the suspects mother house. She did not trust the suspect with a key so when he went to her house he always broke into that window. He had gone there after the murder to change clothes.

This information lead to an informant coming forward with details of who was involved and further confirmed the information Miss Hadley provided.