Photo: Jovanka_Novakovic / E+ / Getty Images
A loyal dog is being credited with helping solve a murder case and putting the suspect behind bars. The body of 26-year-old Mandy Rose Reynolds was discovered in a field fire in Robinson, Texas, in 2023. Her body was burned beyond recognition, though an autopsy report revealed she was shot.
When officers arrived, they found a white-haired Labradoodle barking frantically near the body. They tried to capture the dog, but it kept running away. After the coroner's office took the body away for an autopsy, the dog returned to where the body was found and refused to leave.
Robison Animal Control was called, and they picked up the dog. They pulled the information from its microchip and learned his name was Titan and that he belonged to Reynolds.
Now that investigators knew the identity of the victim, they could work to find her killer. They searched her house in San Marcos, Texas, and found it was abandoned. They also noticed that her car, a black Honda Accord, was missing.
Investigators ran the plates of the missing car through a license plate reader database and discovered it was last spotted in Wichita, Kansas. Officers in Kansas located the vehicle, which was being driven by Her Reynolds' cousin Derek Daigneault, 29. He refused to be pulled over and was detained following a 30-minute high-speed chase.
When they arrested Daigneault, they found a .380 handgun, which matched the gun used to kill Robison.
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
"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. That combination has delivered justice for Mandy and safety from a violent and dangerous criminal. Thank you to the Robinson Police Department, the San Marcos Police Department, and the Wichita Police Department for their exceptional work," Assistant District Attorneys Ryan Calvert and Alyssa Killin said in a statement.