Top 10 Times Dogs Solved Crimes

For eight years, a German Shepherd named Balu faithfully served the Rutherford County sheriff’s office in Tennessee as a canine deputy. Just days before his retirement in February 2018, Balu played a crucial role in uncovering a major drug shipment. During a routine traffic stop, Balu detected a suspicious scent emanating from a semi truck passing through the state. The dog sniffed around the vehicle and ultimately led deputies to a concealed compartment on the flatbed containing over a dozen kilos of narcotics. In total, the estimated value of the seized drugs amounted to about $1 million. The driver of the truck was swiftly arrested and charged with felony manufacture, sale and delivery of a controlled substance.

Upon discovering the body of a 59-year-old woman in her Paris apartment, police initially suspected that she had taken her own life. However, her family insisted she had been murdered. To thoroughly investigate these claims, authorities turned to the woman’s dog, Scooby, who was present during the incident. Just like his crime-fighting cartoon namesake, Scooby became a crucial witness in the case and was actually called up to testify in court. When presented with a suspect to gauge its reaction, the dog reportedly “barked furiously”. While this wasn’t sufficient evidence to indict the suspect, Scooby was commended by the judge for his “exemplary behavior and invaluable assistance” throughout the case.

In October 2010, authorities in Hillsboro, Oregon responded to a security alert at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. While conducting a search of the premises with a canine, deputies found a bike and backpack. Their investigation extended to a wooded area where the dog unexpectedly began tugging at some moss on the ground. To their surprise, the “moss” was actually a man dressed in a camouflage suit, who let out a yell as the dog bit him. The man, Gregory Liascos, was arrested and charged with burglary and criminal mischief. Liascos had strategically cut a hole in the bathroom wall, in an attempt to gain entry into the museum. He was later sentenced to 16 months in prison.

In the early hours of July 26th 2016, California Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Stone and his canine partner, Deja, responded to a call regarding the kidnapping of a teenager from her grandmother’s home. According to reports, the abductor had dragged the victim through the woods, leaving fresh drag marks and abandoning her purse along the way. All Deja needed was a few scent articles belonging to the victim. The dog swung into action, tracking the scent directly to the front door of a house, where authorities found the kidnapped girl and her captor. She was reunited with her mother, while the suspect was apprehended on multiple charges including kidnapping and domestic battery.

It took just 30 seconds for a canine named Kattie to solve a murder in Uttarakhand, India. The case centered on the death of 21-year-old Shakib Ahmad, whose body was found in a field bearing multiple injuries. Police also found a piece of Ahmad’s clothing a few meters away, which they presented to Kattie to sniff. They then assembled a lineup of suspects, which included some of the victim’s family members. Within 30 seconds, the dog began barking at one of the victim’s cousins, Qasim. Acting on this, police questioned Qasim and obtained a confession from him. For her exceptional crime-solving efforts, Kattie received a cash prize and the prestigious title of ‘best personnel of the month’.

Before her death in 2016, Merrilee Cox-Lafferty lived with severe epilepsy and was largely dependent on her service dog, Coco. When Cox-Lafferty went missing on August 18th, it was Coco who helped police determine what exactly happened to her. Coco was found wandering the streets on the day of her owner’s disappearance and eventually led authorities to the house of Cox-Lafferty’s on-again, off-again boyfriend Stacy Robert Willis. Over the next month, police investigated Willis and ultimately arrested him for aggravated murder. It was revealed that he had killed Cox-Lafferty in a fit of anger and buried her remains in a shallow grave. Willis later pleaded guilty and received a prison sentence of 15 years to life.

A heated argument between four individuals in Ghaziabad, India took a tragic turn, resulting in the death of a man named Vivek. On May 31st 2020, Vivek was reportedly riding his motorcycle when he collided into a car carrying three men: Mohsin, Adil and Salman. Sadly, Vivek’s body was discovered in a field the following day. To aid in the investigation, police brought a tracker dog named Leena to the crime scene. After sniffing around, Leena led officers to the suspects’ hangout spot, which was close to their house. This vital lead, plus additional evidence from an informant, enabled the police to apprehend all three men. They ultimately confessed to killing Vivek after the collision and discarding his remains in the field.

In December 2018, Robert Stewart fled police after fatally shooting 27-year-old Ryan Halbe and his mother Candy in Merrillville, Indiana. Among the pursuit team were Stanko Gligic and police K9, Radar. The dog picked up Stewart’s scent and led the team through the snow to his hiding place in a backyard shed. Despite Officer Gligic orders for Stewart to surrender, he repeatedly refused. What happened next must have been quite a shocker for the suspect. Radar burst into the shed and was able to drag Stewart outside to allow the police place him under arrest. He was charged with the double-murder, while Radar and Gligic were honored as the city’s employees of the month.

A house went up in flames early on November 5th 2001. The father of the home, Eric Parsons, managed to escape unhurt but his wife, Cheryl, and their four children weren’t so lucky. Initially, it seemed like an accidental fire– probably the result of faulty wiring. However, suspicions arose when arson investigators arrived at the scene with their dog, Alex. In Eric Parsons’ car, Alex quickly picked up traces of an accelerant. Subsequently, he identified similar traces on Parsons’ clothes and on his children’s beds. The prosecution portrayed Parsons as an overbearing husband with a history of violence towards his wife. He was ultimately found guilty of arson and murder, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

For over three months, the whereabouts of 36-year-old mother of two, Kimberly Szumski, remained unknown. Szumski reportedly left her family home in Burlington County, New Jersey on May 8th 2001, and vanished without a trace. Her husband, Thomas, a construction worker involved in a building project at the time, succumbed to a drug overdose two months later. Shortly after, police searched the building Thomas was working on with a trained detection dog named Eagle. Eagle detected the smell of decomposition, leading authorities to discover Szumski’s remains in the wall. Turns out her husband had murdered her, wrapped her body in plastic and cemented it into the building’s wall. Unfortunately, Thomas passed away before he could face legal consequences.

What other paw-some crime-solving canines have you heard of? Let us know in the comments below.