Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Outrage - Who killed Reba the Bulldog?

Starting point is 00:00:00 To listen ad-free, visit Zinspod.co slash subscribe. Starting at $2.99 a month, you'll also get access to our exclusive bonus content episodes when you join through Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Thanks for supporting the show! July of 2024 was the hottest July on record. The sun was just setting on July 25th when two people cut through the parking lot behind a grocery store in the middle of Las Vegas. When they walked past the dumpster, they heard the sound of whimpering

Starting point is 00:00:30 coming from inside a large plastic storage tub. The plastic storage bin had been sealed shut with tape and left next to a dumpster. They pulled off the tape, opened the lid, and were immediately panicked by what they saw inside. It was an English bulldog, and she was barely breathing. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence, as well as missing persons and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John. I am the only John in the room. This week is a first on Sins and Survivors. In July, the Las Vegas community was united by their

Starting point is 00:01:21 shock and horror at the story of an English bulldog that was dumped and left to die in 110 degree weather. Animal rescue volunteers named her Reba in honor of Reba McIntyre. We first saw and heard about Reba on Instagram. The Vegas Pet Rescue Project made several posts about her the night she was found, and many, many people in Las Vegas and around the country were sending love, support, and donations to help her. Sadly and tragically, Reba did not survive. But Vegas is still united in trying to find who abandoned her and is ultimately responsible for her death.

Starting point is 00:01:56 This week, we are bringing you Reba's story to help spread the word and generate new leads. I remember when I first saw pictures of Reba on Instagram. She's such a cute and helpless little dog. Sean and I are dog people, and we have five dogs here at the house. It was six for a while when we were fostering a Frenchie named Kylo who came from our local animal shelter on one of our volunteer shifts. We were able to place him with the family, so we're back to five for now. But let's start with the night of July 25th. As we mentioned, July was the hottest ever on record here. Vegas broke the record for the hottest recorded temperature ever at 120 degrees two days in a row.

Starting point is 00:02:32 On July 25th, the high temperature was 114 degrees. If you don't live in the desert and you haven't experienced it, it's a little hard to believe, but even at 8pm that night, the temperature was still 108 degrees. Most nights here during the summer, it's still in the triple digits past 10 or 11pm, with all the roads and cement acting as giant heat sinks, radiating until the early morning when the temperature is finally in the mid-80s. Essentially, it's hot, and it stays hot from June through the beginning of October. Based on news reporting, two people were behind the Vaughn's grocery store at Twain and Maryland Parkway. For those familiar a little bit with Vegas, it's about two miles east of the strip

Starting point is 00:03:09 between Flamingo and Desert Inn, close to the Boulevard Mall just north of the UNLV campus. The two people were walking by the dumpsters behind the store when they heard the sound of a dog whimpering. They realized it was coming from inside of this large, black, 50-gallon storage container, or tote as some were describing it, that was placed on the ground in front of the dumpster. The lid had been taped shut with duct tape. So they pulled off the tape, and when they looked inside the container, they found Reba. She had been wrapped in a blanket and was barely conscious and barely breathing. They carried her across the parking lot to a nearby auto zone, where employees started hosing her off with cool water to a nearby auto zone, where employees started

Starting point is 00:03:45 hosing her off with cool water to try and bring her core temperature down. This was one of the first pictures of Reba that was shared on Instagram. She was lying on her belly on the concrete, with her tongue sticking out, as a kind worker sprayed her with water. Carlos Herrera, a volunteer with the non-profit pet search and rescue group Paws Patrol, saw a plea online for help for Reba, and he immediately went to the auto zone to pick her up. He quickly brought her to the veterinary emergency group in Henderson. During the ride, Reba was in extreme distress. She was having seizures and vomiting. She was barely breathing and barely moving. The rescuers were concerned that she wouldn't even

Starting point is 00:04:21 survive the drive to the emergency vet. She arrived around 10 p.m. and right away the team of vets got to work on stabilizing her. She was suffering from heat stroke and severe dehydration. She needed IV fluids, oxygen, and plasma infusions. Her situation was desperate and critical. Dr. Jessica Dowling of the Veterinary Emergency Group told Fox 5 reporters that she wasn't able to breathe because her lungs had filled with fluid from trying to breathe so hard. Dogs justush face, a short nose and a flat face like pugs, boxers, Boston Terriers. Heat is dangerous for any dog, but for dogs with those features, breathing even on a regular day can be a challenge, so they are extremely susceptible to heat stroke. Rebo was struggling to breathe and the vets worked for hours to try and revive her. The team at Vegas Pet Rescue Project provided updates throughout that night,

Starting point is 00:05:30 showing that Reba was fighting. She was so dehydrated and in such severe heat stroke that her blood had rushed to her heart and thickened. Her organs were starting to shut down, but after her second plasma infusion, oxygen and IV fluids, she was rehydrated. Her body temperature had returned to normal. In fact, most of her vitals were close to normal. She was suffering from aspiration pneumonia from her aspirating vomit, and she had bruising and ptachia. The video recorded of Reba during this time was so hopeful. She was sitting up at times with her eyes open and her little pink tongue sticking out. We could see her being loved on by the staff at the hospital. She was wearing an oxygen mask and a little blood

Starting point is 00:06:08 pressure cuff. The Vegas Pet Rescue Project began asking for the public's help because the medical care Reba received cost $8,000 and was expected to increase as she needed more care. They stated that her situation was still critical, but they were hoping she would fully recover and eventually be able to be adopted. I think we and most of the Las Vegans who were watching her story were relieved when we went to sleep that night. Reba was cared for around the clock, but sadly, on the morning of Saturday the 26th, she suddenly passed away from cardiac arrest due to the severity of the blood clots she developed from the heat stroke and shock. Her death was sudden and she felt no pain. A necropsy was performed on Reba and it revealed that she didn't have any other injuries or

Starting point is 00:06:50 illnesses that might have been the cause for someone abandoning her like that. She was a young dog, clean and well-groomed, and her nails had recently been trimmed. However, she wasn't wearing a collar and she did not have a microchip. We are so grateful for the work of the Vegas Pet Rescue Project, the veterinarians at Vet Emergency Group for all they did for Reba. The Vegas Pet Rescue Project with the support of donors covered the more than $16,000 vet bill. One of the volunteers for the Vegas Pet Rescue Group was quoted as saying, anybody who's sick and twisted enough to put an innocent life of an animal inside a container with no ability to save itself, duct taped, leave it next to a dumpster, we're only

Starting point is 00:07:30 lucky that somebody happened to hear her cries. Carlos Herrera, the volunteer from Paws Patrol, told reporters, to know that somebody had the audacity to put the dog in there, tape that shut, and leave the dog there and just walk away, you know, when it's 110 degrees outside, it just doesn't make sense. Once Carlos had dropped Reba off at the hospital, he went back to the Vons to document the tote. He took photos of the bin that were later posted on Instagram by the Vegas Pet Rescue Project. To me, this bin matches a 50-gallon bin that is sold at Walmart. The brand is Hyper Tough. It's black with a red lid and it has two wheels on one end. Carlos saw the duct tape that had been pulled off the lid and when he looked inside the bin, he could tell that this was the bin that Reba had been inside. He decided to call the police to see

Starting point is 00:08:15 if Metro would respond. Around 1 a.m. they did respond to the parking lot and body camera footage shows the officers approaching the bin. You can visit the Vegas Pet Rescue Project's Instagram to see that footage. We will also share a link to that in our show notes. Before we continue, we want to pause for a second because our dear friend, Alan has a new podcast out called When Heaven Meets Hell, all about her experiences when she learned her fiance was living a double life. I just need a minute, I think. They will use, harm, betray, and exploit the people that they love.

Starting point is 00:08:57 Once you kind of start to leave your body and go over and be with them, you know, no one's really home. They could kind of do whatever they want. One in three women are abused in their lifetime. And that means that one in three women are willing to tell their story. I believe you battled with a narcissist. I swiped yes.

Starting point is 00:09:15 The swipe that would change my life. They're empty. So they need you to connect to them so they can feed off of you. He said, well, I told them that you're my girlfriend. I said, what? Then you add in this whole other layer of betrayal and manipulation. He asked me to marry him.

Starting point is 00:09:36 And I said, yes. Only one who would do that, especially to somebody that they supposedly love, is meant for young well. His sister said, what are those bruises from? I'm not going to say, oh, your brother. It was so great. You find out later he's buying a house with someone else. It's like, what the heck? That was the first time I ever heard another woman in the background. They're not black eyes.

Starting point is 00:10:00 They're beautiful, but they, um, they're dead inside. This is When Heaven Meets Hell. We are so excited for Alan. We know putting together this project was a long process with emotional ups and downs. Be sure to subscribe today. You can find it at whenheavenmeetshell.libsyn.com or anywhere you get your podcasts. All right, back to Reba. Metro right away put work into trying to figure out who had neglected and abandoned Reba. Officers in both the Animal Cruelty and the Missing Persons Division were given extra hours to investigate the case.

Starting point is 00:10:40 Metro officers noted there were surveillance cameras in the parking lot. The footage did record activity behind the grocery store. However, no footage was captured of the person or persons leaving the tote with Reba. Officers knocked on doors. They asked other local businesses to check their surveillance footage. They canvassed apartment complexes, trying to find any clue as to who may have owned Reba or if anyone saw anything. Metro has said that there may be more than one suspect and they believe that the suspects may have left a similar tote behind the grocery store days before the incident. Megan Tomlinson of the Vegas Pet Rescue Project has said, this case is being classified as a felony, so it's being taken very seriously. It's still

Starting point is 00:11:20 an open investigation. They are working hard to find out who's responsible. With the extensive coverage on both social media and local news outlets, dozens of tips and leads came into the police department. But on August 5, 2024, Las Vegas Metro Police again pleaded with the public for assistance, saying all their leads had dried up and they needed more help, more tips, and more surveillance footage from local businesses. Almost immediately after Reba's death, the Vegas Pet Rescue Project began a reward fund for information leading to the arrest of the person who abandoned Reba. Multiple anonymous donors stepped forward. It began at $11,000, but steadily climbed as more people wanted to contribute. Las Vegas radio station 98.5 KLUC, Chet Buchanan, the host of the Chet Buchanan Morning Show and

Starting point is 00:12:07 Aces and UNLV court announcer, and his co-host, Michaela Gordon, American Idol season four contestant, pledged the final $3,500 that set the reward at $25,000. Vegas Pet Rescue Project also worked with Lamar Outdoor Advertising to place 48 billboards around the city beginning in late July. Lamar generously donated the digital billboards, which at the time of this recording could be seen along highways all over the city. I saw one when I was driving near the 215 in Eastern yesterday. In early August, another animal rescue called Big Dog Ranch Rescue doubled the reward to $50,000 and hired private detectives to investigate what happened to Reba. Big Dog Ranch Rescue is located in

Starting point is 00:12:52 southern Florida, about a half hour drive north of Boca Raton. Big Dog Ranch is the largest no-kill rescue in the United States, and they aim to rescue 5,000 dogs every year. Their founder and president, Lori Simmons, said that they heard about Reba from numerous people and they were all outraged by this heinous crime. Quote, the news of the utter cruelness of leaving this defenseless dog to die in the Nevada heat next to a dumpster with no chance to survive moved us to action. It is our goal to find and punish this person or persons and to send a national message that anyone who harms an innocent animal will be punished. These abusers often go on to abuse

Starting point is 00:13:31 children and more animals, so it is with great urgency that we identify and arrest those responsible. As we stated earlier, Las Vegas Metro is investigating this as a felony case of animal cruelty. Under Nevada law, the first act of animal cruelty is classified as a misdemeanor unless there is evidence of willful and malicious intent. In those situations, the animal cruelty becomes elevated to a Class D felony, which is punishable by up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. That sounds like way too lenient of a punishment for such a disgusting, cowardly, cruel, and needless criminal act. Steve Wolfson, Clark County District Attorney, gave a statement to the press that he was taking the case very seriously. He said he's a dog lover, and that this case is among the worst of the worst for animal abuse cases. He said he's outraged, but he is limited by the lies to how severe of a punishment the people responsible for Reba's death could get. He was asked if he would consider offering a plea bargain to the person responsible,

Starting point is 00:14:30 and he said he didn't know. He refused to say for sure, and that we will have to wait and see what happens when the individuals are caught and the case reaches his office. He also stated that if people are unhappy with that punishment, they need to go to the state legislature and advocate for harsher punishments for animal cruelty. John Wadby, an animal advocate, decided to do that. He started an online petition to increase the penalties for animal cruelty. He has said that he wants to send a message. If you abuse, harm, abandon, or kill an animal, you're going to be punished. He is calling his bill Reba's Bill, and he points out that you can get a stiffer punishment for shoplifting than you can for harming an innocent animal. His website is justiceforreba.org, and it includes ways to identify who your local representative in Nevada is so you can contact them.

Starting point is 00:15:16 If you're a resident of Nevada, please consider going and signing that petition. He also has a suggestion that if you don't live in Nevada, you can contact the representatives for the district where Reba was killed, Nevada Senator Fabian Donate and Assemblyman Howard Watts. Megan Tomlinson told reporters, They say serial killers start by abusing animals, so we need to get on this, and we need to make sure that these people are being prosecuted and that the community at large knows that we treat our animals with respect. We have documented studies that show murderers and domestic abusers often have a history of animal torture and abuse and that batterers will harm their partner's pets or use the threat of violence against a pet to control their partners. It is outrageous that even though we all know that to be true, we still do not have harsher punishments for those who abuse, torture, and kill defenseless animals and pets. All the info you need to take

Starting point is 00:16:09 action is right there on the Justice for Reba website, so we encourage you to head there and check it out. Sign the petition. There's also a Justice for Reba Facebook group you can join. There are several other ways to get involved and help get Justice for Reba. Check out the justiceforreba.org website you can also support vegas pet rescue project which was there for reba and spent sixteen thousand dollars on her medical care we've created a short link to their link tree just visit sinspod.co slash vprp for vegas pet rescue project the vegas pet rescue project does this every day in las vegas for animals in need.

Starting point is 00:16:45 They can use our support with donations as well, and they are selling special Justice for Reba t-shirts and sweatshirts with Reba's picture that you can buy to help raise awareness and support the cause. It's all in the link tree. They are a non-profit organization that is helping to save pet lives in the Vegas area. You can also volunteer with them, sign up to be a pet foster parent, join their mailing list, and follow them on social media. They also have animals for adoption, and you can learn more about their fundraisers and upcoming events. Right now, the Las Vegas Animal Shelter, also known as the Animal Foundation, and the Henderson Animal Shelter, here in Henderson, are at capacity. With the hot weather, we have experienced the tragedies of dogs being left in hot cars, left tied up outside in the heat.

Starting point is 00:17:31 There have been a lot of horrific animal stories in Las Vegas lately, and most organizations in town are just overwhelmed by the intense need for more help for animals in the valley. We recently had an atrocious animal hoarding case in Boulder City where 150 animals, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other animals were found, and sadly more than 40 of them were deceased. In June, 39 French bulldogs were rescued from an illegal backyard breeder, and four of the dogs appeared to be pregnant. Carlos Herrera, the rescue volunteer who brought Reba in, told the press that these situations are not uncommon in Vegas,

Starting point is 00:18:06 with dogs being dumped, dogs being taped up around their snouts, dogs being tied up to a tree, and dogs being left outside. He said it's becoming a real problem. One time when we were working at the shelter, there was a dog left outside overnight, just abandoned there. The short story is that our shelters are constantly overrun with animals. We are so thankful for the volunteers and rescuers who look out for them and care for them. As Metro Sergeant William Gethofer says, animals do not have a voice. They cannot speak. They can't tell us what happened to them. They can't point to who did it. So we have to be their voice. Reba was cremated, and on August 8, 2024, her remains were returned to the care of the Vegas Pet Rescue Project, along with the keepsake paw print.

Starting point is 00:18:49 They have vowed to keep fighting for justice for sweet Reba. animal cruelty detail by calling 702-828-2907, or as always, by calling Crime Stoppers and remaining anonymous at 702-385-5555. Tips can also be sent to Nevada Voters for Animals, that's the number four, Nevada Voters for Animals at gmail.com or 702-660-8970, where you can also remain anonymous. It's only been a few weeks since Reba passed away, but we will keep you updated as new information or hopefully an arrest occurs. We encourage you to look into your local animal cruelty laws and to get more involved and volunteer with your local animal organizations. Because what happens here, happens everywhere. Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.co slash subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad-free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Threads at Sins and Survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast

Starting point is 00:20:24 platform of choice. You can contact us at questions at sinsandsurvivors.com. If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or needs support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website, sinsandsurvivors.com. Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast, is research written and produced by your hosts, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns, or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website,

Starting point is 00:20:59 sinsandsurvivors.com. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts, and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.

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Sins & Survivors: A Las Vegas True Crime Podcast - Outrage - Who killed Reba the Bulldog?

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