A “heroic and loyal” dog helped catch its owner’s killer after refusing to abandon her body, police in the US have said.
Derek Daigneault was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his cousin Mandy Rose Reynolds, whose body was found burning in a field in Robinson, Texas.
Police responding to a reported brush fire found a dead body that was “burned beyond recognition” in April 2023.
A white labradoodle dog nearby “barked frantically” at officers and refused to leave the area where the body was found, the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office said.
The morning after the body was recovered, someone came across the dog sitting where the burning body had been and notified animal control, which discovered the dog, named Titan, was microchipped and belonged to Ms Reynolds.
Police learned she lived in San Marcos, Texas, and notified officers there to look for her.
They entered her apartment and found it empty, with all her possessions removed and her car missing.
A check of a licence plate database led police to discover the car was somewhere in Wichita, Kansas.
Days later officers there spotted the car and attempted to pull it over, but a high-speed chase ensured, which reached speeds of over 100mph and lasted nearly 30 minutes.
When the car crashed into another vehicle the driver fled into a nearby shop, where he hid on a shelf behind canned goods, the district attorney’s office said.
Police found him and identified him as Ms Reynolds’ cousin, Daigneault.
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Derek Daigneault. Pic: McLennan County District Attorney’s Office
Footage shows Daigneault buying shovel and petrol canister
Meanwhile, police in San Marcos obtained surveillance video from Walmart showing Daigneault buying a large plastic storage container identical to the one Ms Reynolds’ body was burned in, as well as a shovel and petrol canister.
The footage also showed Daigneault leaving the store in Ms Reynolds’ car, with Titan sticking his head out of the car’s window.
They later found all of Ms Reynolds’ personal belongings in a truck left abandoned several miles from her home.
‘Heroic and loyal dog’
An autopsy confirmed Ms Reynolds’ identity through dental records and determined she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators determined a bullet recovered from her body and a shell casing found inside the container she was burned inside were both fired by a handgun found inside Ms Reynolds’ car when it was in Daigneault’s possession.
“The keys to this case were a heroic and loyal dog named Titan and extraordinary cooperation between law enforcement agencies in multiple jurisdictions and states,” assistant district attorneys Ryan Calvert and Alyssa Killin said.
“That combination has delivered justice for Mandy and safety from a violent and dangerous criminal.”
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