Docs: Online detectives around the world helped track down suspect in animal cruelty videos
KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) — Federal court documents allege a Kokomo woman adopted animals, then tortured and killed them in videos posted to social media. Tips from internet users helped the FBI track her down.
Krystal Scott, 19, faces up to 14 years in prison after being charged with animal crushing and creating animal crush videos.
Kokomo police receive tips
The investigation into Scott first began on May 3 when the Kokomo Police Department received tips of animal cruelty. When officers searched her house, they found two dead cats in her freezer. One of them had been skinned. Scott said the cats died naturally.
The legs of an unidentified animal were found in a glass jar. Scott said it was a coyote that was given to her by a friend.
Kokomo police also seized two phones, but were unable to link Scott to animal cruelty accusations at the time.
It wasn’t until later that she admitted to the FBI that she gave Kokomo investigators a phone that wouldn’t have evidence on it.
Officers interviewed Scott again on June 26 after receiving a complaint.
“Person 3” in court documents told investigators that he gave Scott a pregnant cat. “Person 3” said he then saw an Instagram video of a cat being tortured and believed it was the cat Scott had adopted.
When Kokomo officers showed Scott a picture of the cat, she denied ever having it.
Internet sleuths alert police in Idaho
A grassroots group dedicated to catching animal abusers contacted the Boise (Idaho) Police Department on June 16.
The online tipsters provided images and videos from social media to detectives.
Boise police found an Instagram account for “SERIAL_DOG_KILLER_DUDE” as well as several variations on that handle. About a dozen Instagram accounts in total were found.
Two days later on June 18, a private group message on Instagram previewed upcoming violence.
“I’ll be killing a pregnant Siamese and a kitten later on today,” a user named “real.serial.dog.killer.dude2” wrote.
Later in the day, a picture of a small gray kitten hanging was sent.
An 11-second video was also created.
Federal court documents describe the video.
“The small kitten grasps for breath multiple times before it legs begin to hang limp,” court documents state.
“Little s*** was still alive so rehanged it,” Instagram user “realserialdogkillerdude34” wrote about the video.
Investigators later learned that Scott got the kitten and the pregnant Siamese cat from a user on Facebook about an hour before posting the image of the kitten hanging. A cyber tipster from London helped tip off investigators to this on June 29. This person, listed as “Person 1” in court documents, says she volunteers as a “flagger” for abusive material online.
“Person 1” says she connected Scott to an ad on Facebook from “Person 2,” who was looking for someone to take in her cats so that she wouldn’t have to take them to a shelter.
Scott, using the alias “Sammy Marce,” had “Person 2” deliver the cats to her residence. “Person 2” shared screenshots of communications with investigators.
The Boise Police Department alerted Boise’s FBI agency about the videos on June 18.
Connecting Scott to the social posts
A search warrant and communications with Comcast revealed Scott’s IP address and led investigators to Scott’s residence.
Two more social posts also caught the attention of investigators.
TikTok submitted a suspicious activity report on June 25. The platform flagged user “garfcult” for posting images of dead animals. The IP address used to register the account links to Scott’s residence, federal court filings state.
Investigators also state an image of a beheaded dog posted to Instagram on July 8 by “realdogandcatkillerdude9” shows a wire mesh cage similar to other posts seen by investigators.
The FBI raided Scott’s residence on July 14. Investigators found “numerous animal parts and skulls that were consistent with the size of cats and dogs,” according to court documents.
Several lizards, a dozen cats and three dogs were all found to be living on the property.
Scott interviewed with detectives, telling them “she claims that her ‘good side’ loves cats and dogs, but that her ‘bad side’ tells her to commit acts of animal cruelty including killing animals by strangulation and other means,” according to court documents.
She admitted to investigators that she made and uploaded the video of the kitten being strangled, “but does not remember the cat specifically.”
Scott’s arrest was announced on July 15.
