Georgia: Third dead dog found in home of ex-schools officer Daniel Peabody, already accused of leaving K-9 to die in hot car and shooting to death another police dog

GEORGIA -- His body count is now up to three dogs.

A former Georgia school police officer, already accused of killing a K-9 by leaving it to die in a hot car and fatally shooting another dog, now has to answer for a third dog found dead in his home, forensic veterinarians revealed.

A gunshot likely killed a dog whose remains were found at the former home of an ex-schools officer, the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office said Tuesday.

However, the remains do not belong to one of two police dogs Daniel Peabody is suspected of killing.

Officials believe the third dog, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, is the grandmother of Inca, the K-9 Daniel Peabody (aka Dan Peabody) allegedly killed by heatstroke after trapping him in a car on a 90-degree day in June.

Peabody was charged last month in connection with the deaths of two police dogs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. Inca, a 4-year-old Belgian Malinois, died from heatstroke June 10 after being left in a patrol car for hours.

INSTEAD OF FIRING PEABODY, THEY LET HIM RESIGN [AKA RETIRE]. THIS LIKELY MEANS HE GETS TO COLLECT HIS MONTHLY PENSION CHECKS FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

Peabody resigned as a lieutenant with the Cherokee schools police shortly after the incident.

It was the investigation into Inca’s death that produced evidence suggesting Peabody shot and killed a second dog, a yellow Labrador named Dale, in 2012.

“Peabody initially claimed Dale’s death was accidental due to Dale choking on a toy,” the marshal’s office said last month in a statement. “However, the investigation yielded evidence that Dale was in fact shot and killed.”

Investigators last month found a dog’s remains at Peabody’s former home in Paulding while executing a search warrant. The marshal’s office released the forensic veterinarian’s findings on Tuesday. Those findings revealed the third dog may have been the grandmother of Inca, Hunton said.

Investigators still do not know the location of Dale’s remains.

Hunton said it’s the “right thing to do” to keep the investigation going.

The latest development won’t affect the charges against Peabody, Hunton said.

(Atlanta Journal-Constitution - July 5, 2016)

Earlier:

• Georgia: Schools officer Daniel Peabody charged in the death of his K9 after it was left in his hot patrol car for hours is also under investigation for his alleged involvement in another K9’s death