OH OH - Nicholle Coppler, 14, Lima, 19 May 1999

[Dewey2Me1MoThyme]

this is supposed to prove dogs searched the home???

the dogs only searched outside: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Copplers-remains-rapists-house-Lima-Ohio.html

Did I say it's suppose to prove anything?

ETA: I guess if my link and yours prove anything it's that cadaver dogs do hit on animal bones.

 

[AlwaysShocked]

The article says police searched the home several times and found various items belonging to the girl inside the home. It also says they used specially trained cadaver dogs. Why would anyone think they did not bring dogs into the house?

 

[Dewey2Me1MoThyme]

The article says police searched the home several times and found various items belonging to the girl inside the home. It also says they used specially trained cadaver dogs. Why would anyone think they did not bring dogs into the house?

If they didn't they need to go back and take investigating 101 all over again.

 

[mysteriew]

This is from a Feb 2012 article, Lima, Ohio:

"Lima Police Chief Kevin Martin said at a press conference Sunday that Coppler’s remains were found on February 8 when the city was in the process of demolishing Fryer’s former home. Authorities confirmed that the remains, which appeared to have been hidden in a basement crawl space, were identified through dental records.

According to the Lima News, investigators had found Coppler’s hair, her school ID card, and a diary in previous searches of the house. The paper reported that the diary included statements indicating that she was being held against her will.

Martin said other searches of Fryer’s property since 2001 have included “specially trained cadaver dogs and …special ground-penetrating radar,” but they found nothing. Two detectives were on site for the demolition and the activity was halted when the remains were spotted. Investigators have not yet determined a cause of death and they are unsure if they will ever be able to figure out when Coppler was killed."

http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/02/20/remains-girl-missing-1999-found-house-demolished


I missed this story when it happened in Feb 2012. I do not understand how a specially trained cadaver dog could have missed finding this body. But the more cases we see in which this type of dog is used, the more I have come to believe they may not be all that reliable.

Yet I know such dogs are used effectively during catastrophes such as earthquakes, etc. to find bodies.

Is it a matter of too many improperly trained dogs being used or what? Anyone know? Can any dog handler just say "Oh, yes, my dog is a trained dog" and LE will use them?

BBM

Cadaver dogs are like humans in that some have better skills in some areas than others, and they have bad days too. IOW they aren't perfect. But they are better than nothing.

The article says that the remains were found in a basement crawl space. And that could partially explain the dogs failure to find the remains. The dogs locate by smell. And to get the scent there has to be a little air exchange. Since most basements are concrete or cinderblock, there would be little air exchange thus little scent emerging.

Cadaver dogs do fail. But usually the err more toward not finding remains that are there, than they do in alerting when there is no remains.

 

[RANCH]

On Tuesday, Lima police working with a team of forensic anthropologists and archaeologists from Ohio State University searched an area that investigators were told could contain the Lima girl s remains. By day s end, they had found only animal bones, Lt. Mike Keith said.

We had brought a cadaver dog out there, and it hit in the area we excavated, which was basically where the tip said she would be, Lieutenant Keith said.

In this example of using a "cadaver dog" to find a missing person's body we see how they can fail.

LE received a tip on where the missing girl's body was located. They deployed a "cadaver dog" which alerted right where the tipster said her body would be. But the missing girl's body was not there and only animal bones were recovered.

It appears to me that the dog handler may have cued the dog into giving an alert at the spot the tipster provided or the dog alerted to the animal bones. Either way this is a good example why HRD dog alerts are not always accurate. IMO.

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-F...of-missing-Lima-girl.html#p6TeCe0c6Rh8axII.99

 

[toetag]

http://www.limaohio.com/news/home_top-news/50392898/Remembrance-service-held-for-homicide-victims