Jun 2, 2009 3:51 pm US/Eastern
Cat's Death Chalked Up To Animal Attack
PALMETTO BAY (CBS4) ―
A week after the bodies of three mutilated three cats were found in the Village of Palmetto Bay, reports of another dead cat had many fearing that serial cat killer had struck again.
The body of a cat and a rabbit were found early Tuesday morning near 169th Street and SW 93rd Avenue. Miami-Dade police spokesman Bobby Williams said investigators determined they were killed in an attack by another animal and not by human hand.
Over the last month or so, the murders and mutilations of more than two dozen cats have residents in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay seriously concerned for the safety of their feline friends.
Perhaps most troubling for investigators is that the criminal, or criminals, seem to becoming bolder with each killing. In one of the deaths last week, the cat had its belly sliced from front to rear and left in its owners' yard as some kind of a grisly trophy.
Homeowners have been told by authorities that they now are mostly looking for an adult who drives a car instead of a teenager or teenagers who are on foot. The cats are being struck by an unknown object and then mutilated.
The perpetrator or perpetrators then place the cats' bodies in plain sight for their families to find. Their bodies have been found near their homes, on sidewalks, front yards and doorsteps.
The Humane Society of the United States has put up a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in what they said were ''serial cat killings.'' The reward was further increased by $1,000 to $3,500 via Crime Stoppers.
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