A dog owner is relieved after a Minnesota family identified a suspect who stole her prize-winning dog and found the dog three days later.
Michelle Baker drove from Iowa to St. Paul Minn. on Friday so her boxer, Jasper, could participate at the Land O’ Lakes Kennel Club Dog Show, according to WCCO.
Jasper won the Best of Breed award and hours later was in his kennel in the back of Baker’s van while she grabbed a coffee Saturday morning. That’s when Baker’s van was stolen with Jasper inside.
“He got up, walked out, got in my vehicle and I saw it happening,” Baker told CBS News.
In the midst of fighting back tears and worry, Baker began posting on Facebook to find her beloved pooch and created a GoFundMe to offer a $10,000 reward.
Three days later, police released a surveillance photo of the suspect and a local family recognized him. They also knew where he lived and contacted Baker immediately, CBS News reported.
Using their detective skills, Tara Wintz and her family were also able to find Baker’s van less than 10 miles away from the hotel where it was stolen. Jasper was inside alive, despite being in freezing temperatures for 60 hours.
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“I just screamed to her, ‘He’s alive!’ And she lost it, and I lost it, and I’m bawling and she’s crying. And it was just like so crazy,” Wintz told WCCO.
Later that evening, Jasper and Baker were reunited in Iowa. the Wintz family will receive the $10,000 reward, Baker told CBS News.
USA TODAY has reached out to the South St. Paul Police Department to see if the suspect was arrested.
“It tugs at the hearts of lots of people when we think of animals that are suffering,” South St. Paul Police Chief William Messerich told the outlet. “It was cold and hungry for a couple days.”
Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: agilbert@usatoday.com.