A employee of a bar across the street found three skinned, headless, defooted animal carcasses alongside the Kent-Black Diamond Road Tuesday evening.
The beasts also were missing their tails, according to a release from the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Pasado’s Safe Haven, an animal rescue group, notified the KCSO of the remains at 10:30 p.m., and the KCSO dispatched a deputy to the 32200 block of the road to investigate. According to the release, the deputy couldn’t determine the species because of the state of the remains, but their condition was consistent with the methods hunters use to skin coyotes.
Pasado’s Safe Haven told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News that the animals were mutilated dogs and that their bodies appeared to have been put on display so drivers would see them. Pasado’s later told KIRO that, based on the fur, the dogs were 4-month-old, golden retriever puppies.
However, a veterinarian experienced in wildlife necropsies says the three skinned carcasses found were not dogs. He said he is “nearly 100-percent sure the bodies are not canine”.
The vet went on to say he is “90-95-percent sure the dead animals are raccoons,” based on stomach contents and anatomy, the KCSO reported Thursday.
Furthermore, the other meaty tissue found next to the animals is cheek tissue and hide from a cow that had been slaughtered, the veterinarian said.
The veterinarian will provide a written report for the Sheriff’s Office and King County Animal Services next week.
According to the KCSO, it is common to find dumped animal caresses, and skinning and decapitating coyotes is legal in the state of Washington.
According to the release, there was also no indication the animals had been posed.
Near the carcasses, according to the release, the deputy found four to five pieces of meat and muscle that clearly did not come from the animals. The deputy also found a 12-inch-long, dark brown piece of meat with a section of “hair” attached.
Pasado’s employees took the carcasses, but the KCSO plans to retrieve them to finish its investigation.
Pasado’s told KIRO it had already been investigating similar incidents before Tuesday’s discovery and is working with police to find out if they are connected.
Pasado’s is offering a $5,000 reward for any information.
