The hunt for Croydon cat killer, who was responsible for hundreds of cat mutilations, has come to an end after three years of police investigation. The identity of the said serial cat killer, who was previously presumed to have been a deranged sadist, was actually foxes. However, some still refuse to accept the said findings and claims by the police. Let us unravel some of the claims of this traumatising predicament for pet owners and lovers.
The story behind ‘Croydon cat killer’
The first Croydon cat killer incident appears in the southern areas of London, particularly in Croydon. The cat-killer victim was found inhumanely murdered with a missing head and tail. The body is said to have been placed in a location where it can be easily spotted.
The Metropolitan Police have initiated an investigation, which was led by Detective Andy Collin under the name Operation Takahe in December 2015. This was after increasing concerns over a series of dead cats being headless and tailless were raised by South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL). It was a force launched in Croydon and its surrounding areas.
Investigation
In February 2016, vet examinations of ten cat deaths were found linked with a grisly fate. Four of the decapitated cats were found in Croydon, and one cat each in Charlton, Finchley, Mitcham Common, Streatham, Sutton, and Peckham. Statistics revealed a conspicuous rise on pet deaths with over two hundred pets, although the authority was not certain that the murders were committed by one person. The case was then given a code name ‘Croydon cat killer,’ and some dubbed it as M25 cat killer.
According to a report from The Independent, officers stated that ‘the cats were killed due to major blunt-force trauma consistent with vehicle collisions. Scavenging foxes then mutilated body parts—especially heads and tails.’
Furthermore, three cases were presented with CCTV footage showing foxes carrying body parts of the said cats. The Metropolitan Police have supported these pieces of evidence from science experts. They give focus on how likely the animals in the wild scavenge on roadkill, and moving and removing body parts (heads and tails) at the same time. Local charity South Norwood Animal Rescue Liberty reached the same conclusions on ‘blunt force trauma’ and mutilations as the cause of deaths on cats.
The extensive investigation went through a point of offering £10,000 reward in exchange for any information that will lead to the culprit of the said mutilations in Birmingham, Greater London, Kent, Manchester, Northamptonshire, St. Albans, and Surrey, but to no success. Moreover, the police refuse to disclose information on money spent solely on the investigation, but it was revealed that ten cat autopsies alone cost the team £7,500.
Timeline of the police investigation
September 2015
South Norwood Animal and Rescue Liberty (SNARL) noticed concerns on the number of mutilated cats found in Addiscombe, near Croydon, from Facebook reports.
October 2015
The case was dubbed as the ‘Cat Ripper of Croydon’ as the number of mutilated cat reports increased.
November 2015
An investigation was launched by the Croydon Police.
January 2016
Animal rights activists offered a reward of £5,000 for anyone who will be successful in capturing the rumoured cat killer. By this time, there are over thirty reports on cat deaths.
April 2016
Postmortem findings led to a conclusion that the cats were executed by ‘blunt force’ before mutilated using sharp objects.
May 2016
Fifty pet deaths were reported across London suburbs.
June 2016
Reports indicated that pet deaths rose to one hundred.
September 2017
The Croydon cat killer suspect has struck three hundred pet victims, which pushes the bounty to £10,000.
December 2017
Leading officers unravelled a link between human serial killers and people known to harm animals.
January 2018
A 31-year-old truck driver was arrested and presumed to be involved with local cat killings.
February 2018
Mutilated cat attack reports spread in Brighton, Isle of Wight, and Manchester. A team of fifteen Met officers have joined the hunt for the said perpetrator.
August 2018
The first postmortem findings were reviewed.
September 2018
The Metropolitan Police released a statement that the Croydon cat killer does not exist. Over twenty-five postmortem examinations revealed no signs of evidence of ‘human involvement.’ Instead, foxes and wildlife are believed to be the culprits of pet mutilations.
The real perpetrator does not exist
Croydon cat killer found? After an estimated number of five hundred cases reported concerning mutilation on pets across London and surrounding areas, all cases have now been regarded as ‘no crime.’ Scotland Yard stated that there is an absence of human involvement on gathered evidence from six cat autopsies examined by a leading veterinarian.
Despite police saying that ‘there were no witnesses, no identifiable patterns, and no forensic leads that pointed to human involvement.’ SNARL said that they were surprised by the statement.
Lizzie Grench, 44, one of the witnesses to the crime, says that the offending patterns are too strategic for wild animals to execute as the culprit left cat parts on the doorsteps of the pet owners. Statistically, there are more than ten thousand foxes in the city to keep in mind that have instincts to scavenge or hunt for food along with other wildlife animals.
There may be different claims and beliefs on whether Croydon cat killer is a myth or a man, but keeping yourself up-to-date is another form of protecting your pet. What’s new in the world of pets? Read next here for pet news and here for interesting pet articles.
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