From the 6.23.10 issue
(Out of concern for their safety, several people interviewed for this article asked that their real names not be used. Some of the names in this story are fictional, but the story is true.)
By Elaine Weinreb
Press Staff Writer
On Monday, June 6, Sarah Jones (not her real name) was hard at work, cleaning the beachfront house of her client Melissa Jackson (not her real name).
Jackson’s house had a beautiful view of Trinidad State Beach, being situated on the bluffs overlooking the ocean. Jackson, a frail senior, spends almost all her time there.
Jones stepped out on the deck for a minute, and noticed a vulture flying by. Seagulls were more common on the beach, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the big black bird was doing. She watched it land on the bluffs just below the house, and then stepped back indoors to finish her chores.
A few minutes later, she saw another vulture, or maybe it was the same one returning, and a few more soon after that. They all seemed to be congregating at the same spot, which wasn’t that far away from the house.
Jones took a closer look at the bluff this time, and noticed that there was a body about the size of a large dog lying dead on the bluffs.
Jones told Jackson to come and take a look, and the women quickly decided to call for help. They knew the Trinidad no longer had a police officer, so they called City Hall, and told City Clerk Gabe Adams what they had seen.
Adams told Jackson to call law enforcement, but he also realized that the frail senior needed some immediate assistance, and he asked city worker Eddie Gray (not his real name) to see what he could do.
Gray went to Jackson’s house, climbed down the bluffs, and saw the dead dog. It was not a pretty sight. Its head had been removed; it had been skinned; and its legs, shoulders, and haunches had also been taken.
The deputy came out, and made his report. There was not much else to do, other than bury the remains, which Gray did.
Although rumors are flying, nobody knows how or why the dog met its demise. Until the Sheriff’s Department figures out what is going on, pet owners would be well advised to keep a close eye on their animals.
