ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — St. Louis Park Police now say a “dognapping” caught on security video does not appear to be a random act and they’ve identified a person of interest.
Police also said there’s no ongoing threat to the safety of pets in the area.
But they confirm the investigation is active and ongoing while the three-year-old Shih tzu-pomeranian named Kyah has still not returned home.
“She’s part of the family. Anything, anything, anything we will do to get Kyah home. We love her and we want her home,” said Andrew Ortiz from his St. Louis Park home on Friday.
On Tuesday night, security cameras captured two masked people wearing gloves and hoodies jumping a backyard fence and then chasing Kyah from the backyard to where she tried to escape in the front. Ortiz heard Kyah’s barks, but when he searched for his dog outside, she was already gone.
“It happened in the blink of an eye,” Ortiz said, adding: “It seemed very planned. It seemed like these perpetrators were like staking my house out or something, very like calculated and planned.”
St. Louis Park officials confirmed Friday evening that the case was “not believed to be a random act.” They’re still asking for people to contact the police if they have any information or recognize the people in the video.
Ortiz himself is also asking people to reach out with pictures, videos, or information at: savekyah@gmail.com. He says he’s struggling to cope with not knowing the location or condition of the dog who’s been with him since she was eight weeks old.
“I can’t imagine my life without Kyah. I haven’t slept in days. I can barely eat… I just hope she’s safe, whoever took her, I just hope she’s safe. I want her to come home as soon as possible,” Ortiz said before addressing his dog directly: “We’re thinking about you Kyah, we love you. And we’re going to get you back.”
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