Buried Victim Next to House
Officer Mark L. Roberts & Maggie
Kansas
I have some news. Maggie got her second homicide on July 8, 2001. We got some information that a subject had shot and killed a male victim about 2 years ago and buried him on his father's farm. We followed that up, developed enough probable cause for a search warrant, and went in about midnight on July 8.
Maggie and I did an area search, and as we neared the rear deck on the house, she began to give some indication; tail curvature tightened, slowed her gait, and localized her smelling activity, hackles rising. The area she showed interest in was at the base of some stairs in an area covered with gravel, concrete, and limestone rocks. I decided to probe the area given the ground cover, the suspected age of the burial, and the compacted clay in the area. After a helper did that and a short wait to let scent percolate, I took Maggie back in and she almost immediately gave me a positive alert.
I flagged the location and notified the Sheriff that human remains were likely there. Due to the lateness, a guard was put on the scene until the next morning.
The next day, myself, another deputy, and three KBI agents dug the site and recovered the remains of a male subject in his 40's shot 3 times and missing since October, 1999.
We have the suspect in jail and charged with Murder 1.
Let me tell you, it was a great feeling to see the clothing appear, then the skull as we dug. I knew the body was there, but still, it was like everything is for sure as soon as I started seeing the body. And Marcie, I am really getting pretty good at trusting my dog and even though I'm a cop,
I have learned how to show some emotion when it comes to her doing something good. Ha! I remember my lessons; that was in Rochester. When she found this one; the second homicide victim in a little over 2 months, I loved the hell out of her especially considering some tough conditions existed for her in which to work.
K-9
Specialty Search Associates
