A well-known Colorado dog breeder was found murdered in a wooded area and at least 10 of his Doberman puppies are still missing.
Paul Peavey, 57, of Idaho Springs, was found by a search party of about 50 people that one of his closest friends, Bruce Boynton, organized Saturday.
“It’s a shame we had to go looking for our friend,” said Boynton, owner of Pickaxe Pizza. 9 News. ‘(He) was thrown over the hill and covered with sticks, stones and debris.
“It’s not something anyone wants to see in their lifetime. It’s something that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew Harris said the body was found in an embankment and out of sight, and that its condition suggested the death was suspicious in nature. It’s unclear whether Peavey was killed so her killer could steal the puppies, as police have yet to make any arrests or share a possible motive.
Boynton, along with some of his clients, set out to find the local breeder days after Boynton reported him missing after police failed to investigate, according to 9 News. They found Peavey’s body within three minutes of searching.
Paul Peavey, 57, of Idaho Springs, was found by a search party of about 50 people that one of his closest friends, Bruce Boynton, organized Saturday.
“They threw him down the hill and covered him with sticks, rocks and debris,” his friend said. “It’s not something anyone wants to see in their life. It’s something that will haunt you for the rest of your life.”
“Customers would have been here enjoying music and pizza and maybe a cold beer, but we had more important things to do,” he told the outlet.
“Half the people who came don’t even know Paul,” he said. Denver 7.
Boynton became concerned about Peavey after a mutual friend called and asked if he had seen him. He had seen the breeder recently, but he thought nothing of his friend’s silence, as he knew Peavey was busy.
She usually saw the dog breeder twice a week, when she went to his pizzeria to buy food. The last time the breeder was heard from was on August 19, according to police.
On Wednesday, after going to his property on Two Brothers Road, Boynton found some of his friend’s valuables and 13 of his Doberman dogs missing.
“His puppies are gone, his gear is gone, everything of value is gone, the doors are wide open and there’s no one there,” she told 9 News. “I felt like my friend was in danger or worse. And we were right.”
Clear Creek County Sheriff Matthew Harris said the body was found down an embankment and out of sight, and its condition suggested the death was suspicious in nature.
He couldn’t bear to watch his friend’s mysterious disappearance, so he organized a search party.
“It shouldn’t have been us. The authorities should have listened to us from the beginning and acted accordingly, but they didn’t,” he criticized the Sheriff’s Office. “They are on our side now, but we had to prove what we had been telling them for days.”
The Sheriff’s Office has since opened an investigation into Peavey’s death, but Harris defended the law enforcement agency, telling 9 News that a missing person report does not necessarily indicate a person is in danger and that deputies have limited resources.
“We have a small team… We get a lot of complaints and we have to sort them by order of importance,” he told the outlet. “If the situation and the information we got suggested that a person was in danger, we would certainly have a larger team here.”
Police do not believe the public is in danger.
“His dogs were his life,” Boynton said. “He had been through a lot in life and the dogs were his therapy. He will be missed.”
However, she believes up to 10 puppies are still missing and encourages central Colorado residents to check if their new Doberman puppies are microchipped if they recently adopted one, she said in a statement. Facebook post.
They received several leads about the missing puppies, including an ad on Craigslist that they eventually determined was “legitimate.”
“The breeder at that site cooperated with investigators and is not involved in any way in this case,” he said.
“Her dogs were her life,” Boynton told Denver 7. “She had been through some things in life and dogs were her therapy.
“We will miss him.”
A coroner is still working to determine the cause of Peavey’s death.