Jackie Luca obtained a textual content message about her lacking canine.
She was hopeful on the time, however the message was the start of a nightmare that has stretched out for a number of weeks, includes a stranger standing outdoors her residence late at evening and a cellphone quantity related to a homicide suspect.
“It’s form of like I’m in the course of it,” Luca mentioned. “However, you already know, the place’s my canine?”
Rocco, Luca’s 2-year-old Rottweiler, disappeared from outdoors her Pasadena residence on Feb. 1 when she let him out for his morning stroll.
“I walked right down to the driveway and he was gone,” Luca mentioned.
So she did what many pet house owners do. She plastered her neighborhood with fliers of Rocco and her cellphone quantity.
That’s when the texts started.
Somebody messaged her and mentioned they discovered her canine. They despatched her photos of Rocco and mentioned he was in now in Palm Desert, about 120 miles east of Pasadena. Once they known as her, Luca mentioned might hear a canine crying out in ache.
“It has form of broke our household,” Luca mentioned. “Individuals might imagine they’re simply canines, however they’re part of our household.”
She mentioned she known as police in Palm Desert to escort her to the tackle, however Rocco wasn’t there and the particular person on the residence didn’t know what she was speaking about.
Then she acquired one other message from the one that claimed to have her canine. They needed $500 and mentioned Rocco was going to a farm. They gave her extra addresses, however nothing panned out.
And issues solely acquired extra complicated from there.
Luca obtained a message from a second cellphone quantity concerning the canine. It additionally included an tackle. She shared the cellphone quantity with police, who mentioned they traced it again to a person needed for homicide.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division has now taken an curiosity within the case.
“They acquired again to me so rapidly, wanting me to satisfy up with this man,” Luca mentioned. “At the back of my head I assumed, ‘Oh, they’re doing this for my canine.’”
The quantity was tied to Eduardo Sanchez, a person needed for killing 14-year-old Ivan Villareal on Aug. 10, 2021, Luca mentioned.
Murder investigators with the Sheriff’s Division mentioned there was no further info to report concerning the investigation of Sanchez.
In the meantime, Luca continued to obtain texts and images of Rocco, and sheriff’s investigators have inspired her to write down again.
“The detective mentioned, ‘Perhaps he likes you. Perhaps we are able to use that to lure him in,’” Luca mentioned.
Los Angeles journal first reported about Luca’s ordeal. Since then, the Dodgers fan and Pasadena resident’s 14-year-old Chihuahua Buddy has handed away. She thinks he died from a damaged coronary heart after Rocco was stolen.
And the ache hasn’t stopped. Luca continues to obtain messages. A latest one acknowledged that Rocco was useless and requested if she needed his fur.
At one level, Luca’s teenage daughter messaged one of many individuals who claimed to have Rocco and tried to enchantment to their humanity. That particular person despatched photos of a nude man in response.
Including to the thriller, Luca says a person has appeared outdoors her residence late at evening a number of occasions. He tried to open her entrance door and even taunted Luca’s safety cameras. She known as police throughout one of many incidents however he was gone by the point officers arrived hours later, she mentioned.
One among her neighbors is satisfied they’ve seen the person earlier than and he’s the one who stole her canine, Luca mentioned.
Pasadena police are attempting to confirm if there’s any connection between the person and the individuals who declare to have taken Luca’s canine.
Late one evening, the person returned outdoors her residence, Luca mentioned. Apprehensive for her daughters’ and her personal security, she known as police and messaged the detective working the case. However once more the person was gone by the point police arrived roughly three hours later, in accordance with Luca.
Pasadena police Lt. Tim Bundy mentioned there are a number of angles investigators might pursue within the investigation, including it’s unclear if the one that has appeared outdoors her residence has something to do with the lacking canine.
“Proper now, there’s no correlation between the disappearance of the canine and the individuals who have contacted her,” mentioned Bundy. “It’s arduous to find out if the people who find themselves textual content messaging her are attempting to rip-off her for a reward or in the event that they even have her canine.”
Now Luca says somebody is stalking her on Fb and she or he doesn’t know what to do subsequent, apart from maintain making an attempt to get Rocco again.
