This is for people taking the search dog training, and not to be shared publicly at this time.
Wayne was a 15 year old black cat in Newcastle. His owner asked us to search for him. As we were arranging the search with Komu, and she was asking permission from the neighbors, her neighbor pointed out a large amount of Wayne’s fur on her lawn. I tested it with Luminol and detected a large amount of blood. I told her the most likely outcome was that Wayne had been killed by a predator, and a search dog was not necessary.
Here are my notes from the phone interview, which lasted 24 minutes. It includes the readout from the automated form she filled out from my web page.
15 years old
Outdoor access, usually back in the morning.
In remission. Hasn’t had
9 pounds.
Fur in the front yard.
One piece of fur had pelt.
Two other cats in house.
Clothing in the yard.
Litter box put out in yard
Hard to say how far he roams. King of the neighborhood. Getting older.
81xx 127th Ave SE
Cats don’t fight often.
Tammy is the other cat in the house that roams.
Other cats in the neighborhood. Tammy had a scratch on her nose.
81xx 127th Ave SE
Newcastle, WA 98056
United States
No other pets missing nearby
Not sure if he eats prey, but he does hunt. Picky about canned cat food.
Used to pick fights.
Pretty friendly with people, friendly to aloof.
Wouldn’t jump into a vehicle.
Unlikely he would let someone pick him up.
Rescue, about 6 years old when got him.
Maybe been in a couple of different homes? Wary.
Your name *
Mxxxxx Rxxxxxx
Phone *
Xxxxxxxxxx
Email *
Xxxxxxxxxx
Pet's name
Wayne
Cat, dog, or other
Cat
Date missing
08/26/2019
City where lost
Newcastle
State where lost
WA
Do you have something like a bed, blanket, or harness, which would have the scent of the lost pet and not the scent of other animals in your home?
unsure
How did your pet go missing?
Didn't come home at usual time.
Does your pet have a microchip?
Yes
Was your pet wearing a collar when last seen?
No
Please send us a picture of your lost pet.
effects.jpg
2.85 MB · JPG
Other details I should know about your lost cat or dog.
Wayne has mast cells/cancer and takes a steroid twice daily and a chemo pill three times a week. He has missed two chemo doses.
After the initial interview, I set up the search for a couple of days later. I sent her a map showing where we would want to search, about a 400 foot radius. When she started talking to the neighbors to get permission, she was told about the fur in the yard. See pictures below. I went to collect the fur from her.
Apparently I wasn’t clear in my communication with her. She thought we were going ahead with the search, to look for Wayne who was injured, or to find his body. I thought I was just testing the fur to confirm the obvious, that Wayne had been killed by a predator, probably a coyote, possibly a bobcat. It is very common to have miscommunication with the client for a number of reasons. 1. They have assumptions that are usually wrong, and they are approaching the whole thing without the benefit of years of experience finding lost pets. 2. It’s not a common topic, so there isn’t a set language to talk about someone’s cat or dog probably being deceased. I may tend to try to avoid being insensitive, and I think that makes me unclear sometimes. It is best to ask questions more than once to make sure you got through and you have the correct info.
I took the fur home and tested it. This time I got the clearest pictures I have ever gotten in this kind of test. Before, I only ever used my iPhone, and the results were okay or not great. This time, I set up the camera before I mixed the Luminol. I set the Canon t7i DSLR on a tripod, with the setting at automatic with no flash. I connected the DSLR to my iPhone using the Canon app, so I could control the camera remotely, without touching it, to avoid camera shake during the long exposure. I set the lens to manual and focused in the light, before turning the lights off, because the camera would have trouble focusing automatically in the dark. I mixed the Luminol, shut off the lights, sprayed, and got several pictures. The quality was much better than previous attempts, and the picture actually allows me to see more than I could with the naked eye. It really shows the pattern and intensity.
Some notes about my interpretation of the Luminol test. 1. The Luminol was mixed right and not contaminated. If it is not properly mixed, you can get specks that glow blue, but in a pattern like sprayed bits. This pattern showed where liquid had spattered and absorbed on the original fur, and the fur was tumbled while collected. The glow was under the surface layer of fur sometimes. If it was improper mixture, the spatter would have been all on the surface. If I had used tap water, the blue glow would have been everywhere. If the source of the blue glow was a contaminant from the lawn, like fertilizer, it would have appeared in a more random pattern. This pattern of blue was consistent with blood being spattered in some places, like to the right of the pictures, and soaking into the fur, like on the left. If the cat just rolled on something, it would look different. Another interesting note is that the clump found on the lawn at Wayne’s house did not have any sign of blood, even though it looked like it was bitten out. Maybe the bleeding hadn’t started yet.
In general, it would be better to do this sort of test in place, on the lawn where the fur was found, without disturbing it. In practice, this can be hard to do because you need pitch black in order to see the blue glow of the Luminol. At times, I have done the test during the day by putting a tarp over myself and over the crime scene. It’s hard to avoid light leaks. Also, it can be difficult to coordinate setting up a tarp and spraying Luminol on someone else’s lawn. If I can’t do a proper test at night, in full darkness, then I collect the fur and sometimes the grass and the dirt, and take it home for testing in a dark place. I have also done testing in the pet’s owner’s garage, basement, bathroom, or other dark room when possible. The nice thing about doing the test at home is that I could take my time and set up the good camera to get really good pictures. That could be done on scene, but not as easily.
Below is my email to Wayne’s person, about the results. It’s not perfect, and I have a hard time knowing how to give this news to a person who has lost a family member in a violent and dramatic way.
Thank you for your patience. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to run the test yesterday. I will give you my full report here, including my analysis of the Luminol test on the fur samples you provided. My brief answer, just so I don’t keep you in suspense, is that I would estimate a greater than 90% chance that Wayne was attacked by a predator and did not survive the attack. This judgement is based on the results of the Luminol test, my interview with you about Wayne’s history, health, and environment, the location and pattern of the fur you found, and other known predator activity in the area. My search dogs have found evidence of predator attacks at least 130 times over the past 11 years, and in 99% of those cases, a thorough search did not locate any more remains than the fur you already found. Predators typically take away everything and consume almost everything. I would not recommend a search dog to look for Wayne or try to find more of his remains. I’m very sorry.
To recap what I learned about Wayne while talking to you, he is 15 years old, 9 pounds, recovering from cancer, a dominant territorial cat, and an avid hunter. Your address is between two power line right-of-ways, which are often used by coyotes.
The picture you sent me of the fur on your neighbor's lawn showed it spread out in a pattern that would suggest an attack or a cat fight. If it had been a cat fight, I would expect to find fur from two cats. All of this fur seemed to be from one cat, and seems to match the photo and description of Wayne. Also, if it had been a cat fight, the fur would have shown evidence of claws raking through fur, which leaves a distinctive pattern of loops in the fur. The fur I picked up from your house did not show these loops. Instead, in many places, the fur looked like it had been cut away as if by scissors, which is a sign of a predator attack. Just looking at the way the fur was distributed, the color and texture of the fur, the patterns in the fur, and the amount of fur, I would say it is most consistent with what I know about predator attacks, and not consistent with a cat fight.
The Luminol test showed no blood on the two tufts of fur from your yard, but considerable blood on the rest of the fur. I have run the Luminol test hundreds of times. Based on my experience, the pattern of the blue glow was not the result of improper preparation of the solution or some environmental contaminant. Those faults would be evidenced by different patterns. The pattern of the blue glow indicating the pattern of blood on the fur, would only be explained by blood, during an attack. Based on the amount and distribution of blood, it seems unlikely, in my opinion, that Wayne would have survived the attack.
I cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Wayne was taken by a predator, but it is the most likely explanation for the facts and the evidence we have. There is a slight possibility that he was attacked and survived, which has been known to happen in rare instances before. It’s also possible that this fur doesn’t even belong to Wayne, and there could be a plausible but unlikely scenario where a cat looking almost exactly like Wayne just happened to be taken in front of Wayne’s house, just around the time Wayne disappeared. In rare cases, my interpretation of the evidence has turned out to be wrong. In this case, based on what I know, I would estimate a greater than 90% chance Wayne was taken by a predator and did not survive.
Again, I am very sorry. Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, some people wish to have the fur returned after testing, which I can certainly do if you like.
Wayne was a 15 year old black cat in Newcastle. His owner asked us to search for him. As we were arranging the search with Komu, and she was asking permission from the neighbors, her neighbor pointed out a large amount of Wayne’s fur on her lawn. I tested it with Luminol and detected a large amount of blood. I told her the most likely outcome was that Wayne had been killed by a predator, and a search dog was not necessary.
Here are my notes from the phone interview, which lasted 24 minutes. It includes the readout from the automated form she filled out from my web page.
15 years old
Outdoor access, usually back in the morning.
In remission. Hasn’t had
9 pounds.
Fur in the front yard.
One piece of fur had pelt.
Two other cats in house.
Clothing in the yard.
Litter box put out in yard
Hard to say how far he roams. King of the neighborhood. Getting older.
81xx 127th Ave SE
Cats don’t fight often.
Tammy is the other cat in the house that roams.
Other cats in the neighborhood. Tammy had a scratch on her nose.
81xx 127th Ave SE
Newcastle, WA 98056
United States
No other pets missing nearby
Not sure if he eats prey, but he does hunt. Picky about canned cat food.
Used to pick fights.
Pretty friendly with people, friendly to aloof.
Wouldn’t jump into a vehicle.
Unlikely he would let someone pick him up.
Rescue, about 6 years old when got him.
Maybe been in a couple of different homes? Wary.
Your name *
Mxxxxx Rxxxxxx
Phone *
Xxxxxxxxxx
Email *
Xxxxxxxxxx
Pet's name
Wayne
Cat, dog, or other
Cat
Date missing
08/26/2019
City where lost
Newcastle
State where lost
WA
Do you have something like a bed, blanket, or harness, which would have the scent of the lost pet and not the scent of other animals in your home?
unsure
How did your pet go missing?
Didn't come home at usual time.
Does your pet have a microchip?
Yes
Was your pet wearing a collar when last seen?
No
Please send us a picture of your lost pet.
effects.jpg
2.85 MB · JPG
Other details I should know about your lost cat or dog.
Wayne has mast cells/cancer and takes a steroid twice daily and a chemo pill three times a week. He has missed two chemo doses.
After the initial interview, I set up the search for a couple of days later. I sent her a map showing where we would want to search, about a 400 foot radius. When she started talking to the neighbors to get permission, she was told about the fur in the yard. See pictures below. I went to collect the fur from her.
Apparently I wasn’t clear in my communication with her. She thought we were going ahead with the search, to look for Wayne who was injured, or to find his body. I thought I was just testing the fur to confirm the obvious, that Wayne had been killed by a predator, probably a coyote, possibly a bobcat. It is very common to have miscommunication with the client for a number of reasons. 1. They have assumptions that are usually wrong, and they are approaching the whole thing without the benefit of years of experience finding lost pets. 2. It’s not a common topic, so there isn’t a set language to talk about someone’s cat or dog probably being deceased. I may tend to try to avoid being insensitive, and I think that makes me unclear sometimes. It is best to ask questions more than once to make sure you got through and you have the correct info.
I took the fur home and tested it. This time I got the clearest pictures I have ever gotten in this kind of test. Before, I only ever used my iPhone, and the results were okay or not great. This time, I set up the camera before I mixed the Luminol. I set the Canon t7i DSLR on a tripod, with the setting at automatic with no flash. I connected the DSLR to my iPhone using the Canon app, so I could control the camera remotely, without touching it, to avoid camera shake during the long exposure. I set the lens to manual and focused in the light, before turning the lights off, because the camera would have trouble focusing automatically in the dark. I mixed the Luminol, shut off the lights, sprayed, and got several pictures. The quality was much better than previous attempts, and the picture actually allows me to see more than I could with the naked eye. It really shows the pattern and intensity.
Some notes about my interpretation of the Luminol test. 1. The Luminol was mixed right and not contaminated. If it is not properly mixed, you can get specks that glow blue, but in a pattern like sprayed bits. This pattern showed where liquid had spattered and absorbed on the original fur, and the fur was tumbled while collected. The glow was under the surface layer of fur sometimes. If it was improper mixture, the spatter would have been all on the surface. If I had used tap water, the blue glow would have been everywhere. If the source of the blue glow was a contaminant from the lawn, like fertilizer, it would have appeared in a more random pattern. This pattern of blue was consistent with blood being spattered in some places, like to the right of the pictures, and soaking into the fur, like on the left. If the cat just rolled on something, it would look different. Another interesting note is that the clump found on the lawn at Wayne’s house did not have any sign of blood, even though it looked like it was bitten out. Maybe the bleeding hadn’t started yet.
In general, it would be better to do this sort of test in place, on the lawn where the fur was found, without disturbing it. In practice, this can be hard to do because you need pitch black in order to see the blue glow of the Luminol. At times, I have done the test during the day by putting a tarp over myself and over the crime scene. It’s hard to avoid light leaks. Also, it can be difficult to coordinate setting up a tarp and spraying Luminol on someone else’s lawn. If I can’t do a proper test at night, in full darkness, then I collect the fur and sometimes the grass and the dirt, and take it home for testing in a dark place. I have also done testing in the pet’s owner’s garage, basement, bathroom, or other dark room when possible. The nice thing about doing the test at home is that I could take my time and set up the good camera to get really good pictures. That could be done on scene, but not as easily.
Below is my email to Wayne’s person, about the results. It’s not perfect, and I have a hard time knowing how to give this news to a person who has lost a family member in a violent and dramatic way.
Thank you for your patience. I’m sorry I didn’t have time to run the test yesterday. I will give you my full report here, including my analysis of the Luminol test on the fur samples you provided. My brief answer, just so I don’t keep you in suspense, is that I would estimate a greater than 90% chance that Wayne was attacked by a predator and did not survive the attack. This judgement is based on the results of the Luminol test, my interview with you about Wayne’s history, health, and environment, the location and pattern of the fur you found, and other known predator activity in the area. My search dogs have found evidence of predator attacks at least 130 times over the past 11 years, and in 99% of those cases, a thorough search did not locate any more remains than the fur you already found. Predators typically take away everything and consume almost everything. I would not recommend a search dog to look for Wayne or try to find more of his remains. I’m very sorry.
To recap what I learned about Wayne while talking to you, he is 15 years old, 9 pounds, recovering from cancer, a dominant territorial cat, and an avid hunter. Your address is between two power line right-of-ways, which are often used by coyotes.
The picture you sent me of the fur on your neighbor's lawn showed it spread out in a pattern that would suggest an attack or a cat fight. If it had been a cat fight, I would expect to find fur from two cats. All of this fur seemed to be from one cat, and seems to match the photo and description of Wayne. Also, if it had been a cat fight, the fur would have shown evidence of claws raking through fur, which leaves a distinctive pattern of loops in the fur. The fur I picked up from your house did not show these loops. Instead, in many places, the fur looked like it had been cut away as if by scissors, which is a sign of a predator attack. Just looking at the way the fur was distributed, the color and texture of the fur, the patterns in the fur, and the amount of fur, I would say it is most consistent with what I know about predator attacks, and not consistent with a cat fight.
The Luminol test showed no blood on the two tufts of fur from your yard, but considerable blood on the rest of the fur. I have run the Luminol test hundreds of times. Based on my experience, the pattern of the blue glow was not the result of improper preparation of the solution or some environmental contaminant. Those faults would be evidenced by different patterns. The pattern of the blue glow indicating the pattern of blood on the fur, would only be explained by blood, during an attack. Based on the amount and distribution of blood, it seems unlikely, in my opinion, that Wayne would have survived the attack.
I cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Wayne was taken by a predator, but it is the most likely explanation for the facts and the evidence we have. There is a slight possibility that he was attacked and survived, which has been known to happen in rare instances before. It’s also possible that this fur doesn’t even belong to Wayne, and there could be a plausible but unlikely scenario where a cat looking almost exactly like Wayne just happened to be taken in front of Wayne’s house, just around the time Wayne disappeared. In rare cases, my interpretation of the evidence has turned out to be wrong. In this case, based on what I know, I would estimate a greater than 90% chance Wayne was taken by a predator and did not survive.
Again, I am very sorry. Please let me know if you have any questions. Also, some people wish to have the fur returned after testing, which I can certainly do if you like.
