WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Mutilated dog carcasses found near south Louisiana canal

Mutilated dog carcasses found near south Louisiana canal

By Cheryl Mercedes - bio | email

LIVINGSTON PARISH, LA (WAFB) - A man in Livingston Parish discovered a canal being used as a shallow grave for mutilated dogs, including his own, when he went out looking for his missing pet in late 2008.

The canal is less than a mile from the home of Paul Tuennerman, a vice president with Raisin Canes. It is located off Highway 42, between Colyell and French Settlement. The pictures Tuennerman took with his camera cannot be shown by the media because of their graphic nature. They show dozens of dog carcasses and remains of many different types of animals. "It's stunning," Tuennerman said. "Absolutely stunning."

He says he stumbled upon the site on Palmer Road while searching for his missing dog, "Sadie." He says what appears to be taking place is simply unfathomable. "I sometimes wonder if this is a figment of my imagination. Who could come up with this?" The decaying remains of apparently tortured dogs lie on the side of the road. Skeletal remains are scattered through the grass, some of them so old that they're covered in overgrown weeds.

"Yesterday morning, we discovered this new batch of six dogs that are obviously tortured beyond belief. I have had enough," Tuennerman said. Under the bridge, more dead dogs were found. They are covered in flies and floating in the canal. The obvious signs of mutilation mean the animals were in some sort of fight or used to bait a brawl. "Here's a yellow lab. I don't want to be disgusting, but that dog's intestines have been ripped out from its rectum," said Tuennerman.

He says whoever is doing this is leaving clues. One piece of evidence was a yellow nylon noose left in his driveway. He says it was the same kind he found around "Sadie's" neck when he discovered her body at the dump site in December. He has been collecting photos every weekend since. Tuennerman says he's called the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office and has even written emails directly to the sheriff. He says a deputy admitted there was a problem. "He said, ‘Yeah, they been grabbing them up and down 42," Tuennerman said the deputy told him.

However, Tuennerman goes on to say that so far it's the only response he's gotten. "It's like a layup. This is easy. I've given you everything you need to solve this, except for having solved it for you. What is the sheriff waiting for?"

Tuennerman says shortly after the interview, he received a couple of calls and even a visit from some sheriff's detectives who were disgusted by what they saw. Sheriff's detectives are canvassing the area, but have not found any evidence of dog fighting.