Outrage - Who killed Reba the Bulldog?

Episode #41 - Justice for Reba

[Shaun] 

July of 2024 was the hottest July on record. The sun was just setting on July 25 when 2 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, coming from inside a large plastic storage tub. 

[John] 

The plastic storage bin had been sealed shut with tape and left next to the 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. 

(Music - Pause for 8 seconds)

[Shaun] 

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, Shaun, and with me as always, is the one and only John.

[John] 

I am the only John in the room.

[Shaun] 

This week is a first on Sins & Survivors. 

In July, the Las Vegas community was united by their 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 McIntire. 

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. 

This week we are bringing you Reba’s story to help spread the word and generate new leads. 

[John] 

I remember when I first saw pictures of Reba on Instagram She’s such a cute and helpless little dog. Shaun and I are dog people, and we have 5 dogs here at the house. It was 6 for a while when we were fostering a frenchie named Kylo who came into the local animal shelter on one of our volunteer shifts. We were able to place him with a family so we’re back to 5… for now.

But…let’s start with the night of July 25. As we mentioned, July was the hottest on record here. Vegas broke the record for the hottest recorded temperature ever at 120 degrees, two days in a row. On July 25th, the high temperature was 114. If you don't live in the desert and haven't experienced it, its 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 11 pm with all the roads and cement acting as giant heat sinks, radiating until the early morning when the temperature is finally in the mid 80’s. Essentially.. It’s hot, and it STAYS hot from June to the beginning of October.

Based on the news reporting, two people were behind the Vons grocery store at Twain and Maryland Parkway. For those of you familiar a little bit with Vegas, that’s about 2 miles east of the strip, 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 described it, that was placed on the ground in front of the dumpster.

The lid had been taped shut with duct tape. 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 or breathing. 

They carried her across the parking lot to a nearby AutoZone, an auto parts store, where employees began hosing her off with cool water to try to bring her 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. 

[Shaun] 

Carlos Herrera, a volunteer with the nonprofit pet search and rescue group Paws Patrol, saw a plea online for help for Reba and he immediately went to the AutoZone 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 survive the drive to the emergency vet.

She arrived around 10 pm 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 fox5 reporters that “She wasn’t able to breathe because her lungs had filled with fluid from trying to breathe so hard. Dogs just don’t have a good way of losing that heat like we do. So they’re trying desperately to breathe. And it’s just a vicious cycle that just keeps getting worse.”

If you’re not an expert on dog breeds, let me add here that English bulldogs are a breed that has what I call, a smoosh 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. 

[John]

Reba was struggling to breathe and the vets worked for hours to try to revive her. The team at Vegas Pet Rescue Project provided updates throughout that night, showing that Reba was a fighter. 

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 petechia. 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 pet and loved on by the staff at the hospital, while she was wearing her oxygen mask and little blood pressure cuff. 

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 recover and eventually be able to be adopted.

I think we and most 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. 

[Shaun]

A necropsy was performed on Reba, and it revealed that she didn’t have any other injuries or illnesses that might have been the cause for someone abandoning her like that. She was a young dog, clean and well-groomed – 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 and the veterinarians at the 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 that we’re only 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 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 2 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 it was the bin Reba had been inside. He decided to call to police to see if Metro would respond. At around 1am, 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 Allyn has a new podcast out called When Heaven Meets Hell all about her experiences when she learned her fiance was living a double life. 

(TRAILER)s

We are so excited for Allyn, 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 https://whenheavenmeetshell.libsyn.com/ or anywhere you get your podcasts.

Alright, back to Reba. 

[John]

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 divisions were given extra hours to investigate the case. 

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 is being taken very seriously. It's still an open investigation. They are working hard to find who is responsible." 

With the extensive coverage both on social media and local news outlets, dozens of tips and leads came to the police department. But on August 5, 2024, Las Vegas Metro Police again pleaded with the public for assistance, saying all of their leads had dried up and they needed more help, more tips, and more surveillance footage from local businesses. 

[Shaun]

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, host of the Chet Buchanan morning show, (Aces and UNLV court announcer), and his cohost Mikalah Gordon (American Idol Season 4 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 and 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 southern Florida, about a half-hour drive north of Boca Raton, and they are the largest no-kill rescue in the United States. They aim to rescue 5,000 dogs every year. 

Their founder and president, Lauree 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 children and more animals so it is with great urgency that we identify and arrest those responsible."

[John]

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 4 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. 

This to us sounds like way too lenient of 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 is outraged, but he is limited by the law as 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, and he said he didn’t know. He refused to say for sure, and that we will all have to wait to 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. 

[Shaun]

John Waudby, 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. 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 Donyate 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 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 is also a Justice for Reba Facebook group you can join. 

[John]

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 $16,000 on her medical care. 

We created a short link to their link tree. Just visit https://sinspod.co/vprp (for “vegas pet rescue project”)

The Vegas Pet Rescue Project does this every day in Vegas for animals in need. 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 their cause. (its all in the linktree)

They are a nonprofit 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 available 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 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 – 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 about 150 animals, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other animals were found, and sadly more than 40 of them were found 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 recue volunteer who brought Reba to the emergency vet) told the press that these situations are common in Vegas, with dogs being dumped, dogs being taped up around their snouts, dogs being tied up to a tree, and dogs just being left outside. He said “it’s becoming a real issue here. “

The short story is that our shelters are constantly overrun with animals and We are so thankful for the volunteers and the rescues who look out for them and care for them

As Metro Sergeant Willam Gethoefer said, “Animals do not have a voice, they cannot speak they can’t tell us what happened to them, they can’t point out who did it, so we have to be the voice for the animals.” 

[Shaun]

Reba was cremated and on August 8, 2024 her remains were returned to the care of the Vegas Pet Rescue Project, along with a keepsake paw print. They have vowed to keep fighting for justice for sweet Reba. 

If you have any information, any tips or leads for her case, please contact Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Detail by phone at 702-828-2907 or by calling Crime Stoppers and remaining anonymous at 702-385-5555.

Tips can also be sent to NevadaVoters4Animals@gmail.com, or to (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 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.