DNA on the claws of one victim might help catch Washington serial cat killer

DNA on the claws of one victim might help catch Washington serial cat killer As the hunt of the Croydon Cat killer continues, a similar case is unfolding across the Atlantic with a dozen cats dead.

Image: Ollie was found dead earlier this month in Washington. Pic: Pasado's Safe Haven

At least a dozen cats have been mutilated and killed in Washington since February, prompting a Statewide manhunt.

As British police continue to hunt the UK's Croydon Cat killer - the unknown person who is believed to have killed more than 400 cats during the last three years - American police are searching for their own cat mutilator.

Among the victims is Ollie, who might provide the breakthrough investigators have been waiting for.

The fluffy white cat was killed at the beginning of August and DNA has been found on his claws.

Cats have been found slit open or with their spines ripped out and left on front lawns, parks and in one instance on the grounds of a church.


The number of attacks has been increasing, with seven of the cats being discovered in August, according to US media reports.

Two cats were found on one day, according to Thurston County Sheriff's Office.

More cats may have been killed; one case involved parts that could have come from three different cats.

So determined are the people of Washington to catch the culprit, a 10-person task force has been set up in Thurston County and a reward of $35,000 (£27,000) has been raised for information leading to the arrest of the killer.

If found, the person could face as much as two years in prison for each cat killed.

The authorities believe the killings have been carried out by the same person.

Often the cuts are neat, some of the cats have had their organs removed and placed next to their bodies. Some have been dismembered.

On Tuesday, a cat was found dead near the location of another cat’s corpse that had been discovered a few days earlier.

"This person is a sick, callous disgusting psychopath,” Paul DeTray, who found the cat after spotting a swarm of flies, told Seattle-based KOMO news.

“To say the least, [it's] a little gut-wrenching to see somebody’s beloved pet torn apart like that.”

Apart from the DNA on Ollie's claws, the only other clue is a single surgical glove near the body of one cat.

Ollie's owner, Rhiannon Stockert, told the New York Times she is struggling to sleep and process the loss of her beloved pet - a slightly overweight and cross-eyed cat that liked to sleep indoors.

The cats were “displayed for people to see”, Erika Johnson, the animal cruelty investigator leading the task force, told the paper.

“Kind of like an arsonist goes back to the scene of fire. They want people to find these animals.”

“It’s for shock value,” Ms. Johnson added. “It’s like a trophy.”