| Original Message |
Suzanne
Posted Jul 1, 2000 8:18 AM
DOG ATTACK (HUMAN DEATH)
TIME / LOCATION
This incident occurred at approximately 1l:40 A.M. on 3-2-89. The incident was called in at
1:10 P.M. Officer arrived at 1:30 P.M. to the driveway area of Box 1087, Rte. 3 just off County Road PB in Tilden Township, National Mine Location.
SCENE
Officer arrived and was contacted by subjects who advised they had found the body of a child in the shoulder ditch-area of the listed driveway. The body was approximately 40 feet off the driveway in the snow. Two witnesses and two ambulance attendants were at the scene. Officer was advised the victim had no vital signs. The victim was checked by officer and he also found none. It was apparent to officer the victim had been deceased for some time.
There were blood stains sprayed in the snow and on the snow banks in the area. There were indications that there had been a struggle of some type in the driveway and in the snowy area near the driveway. This area covered about 200 feet from the start to where the body was located. There were clothing and personal items strewn around the driveway.
CONTACT WITH MOTHER OF VICTIM
PATTI JEAN NICKERSON,- W/F, DOB 9-9-60 of same address, TX 486-6909.
Arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after officer did. She was advised of the situation and gave officer the following information -
She advised she went to town to have her hair done and was accompanied by her boy friend DON MANNING. She has made arrangements with her parents to watch her daughter if she is not home. Sometimes her daughter did not go over to their home but would stay home and watch TV. She advised they have never had any trouble with the dogs before and she was not aware of her daughter being afraid of any of the animals.
INTERVIEW WITH DON MANNING
DON MANNING, boyfriend of the victim's mother lives at Box 44, M-3S, Palmer
TX- 475-5195. He advised he picked up PATTI after the kids went to school and they went shopping and when they returned they saw police. He did not know anything in particular about the incident until arriving and being briefed by undersigned officer. He stated that the dogs have been around and that he has not seen any vicious actions by either of the dogs since he has been in the area, although the one dog has been at the house for just a short time.
CONTACT WITH FRED ALDERTON
FRED ALDERTON, grandfather of the victim, is also co-owner of the Number 2 dog. He advised officers during their first contact with him that he did not know who the Number 1 dog belonged to. Both dogs were in his yard at this time in the driveway. ALDERTON gave officers permission to kill his dog when he was told what had happened.
ALDERTON advised he baby sits the victim when her mother is not home but did not know she was missing. He stated sometimes when she gets off the bus she goes home and watches TV and sometimes she comes over to his house.
Later, ALDERTON told officer that dog Number 1 belonged to his other daughter TAMI'S boyfriend. He told officer that neither of the dogs were mean and had never bit anybody. He said they have only had Number 2 dog for 8 or 10 months. About 6 weeks ago she had pups. None of the pups were outside at the time of the attack. He stated that Number 1 dog had been at the house for only one week. He said that he and TAMI and her boyfriend were in the house at the time of the attack and had hot heard anything.
DOGS INVOLVED
NUMBER 1 DOG: An eleven month old Husky, brown/ black/ white,-weight 110 lbs.; known by the name "IVAN". The owner has only had this dog for two weeks and purchased it from the HOUGHTON HUMANE SOCIETY. The dog had all of its shots and was not sick. It did not appear to be malnourished or abused.
NUMBER 2 DOG: A 1 1/2 year old Husky/ shepherd mix. brown/black in color, known by the name "BRANDY". This dog was previously owned by TIM HANSEN of Ishpeming.
NUNBER 3 DOG: Not found. An off-white mutt type dog with long hair weighing about
50 lbs. It is felt that this dog was not involved in the attack but happened to be in the area at the time.
Number 1 dog was shot and killed by TPR. SWEARENGIN in the driveway of the ALDERTON residence. The dog was shot 2 times with a 223 rifle and died on the spot. An autopsy on this dog showed it to be the main subject of the attack and the most involved in the victim's death.
Number 2 dog was shot by TPR. SWEARENGIN on County Road PB. It was shot a second time and died in the yard of ROY DELARYE about 100 feet from where it had been shot the first time. An autopsy on this dog showed it to also be involved in the death but to a lesser degree.
CONTACT WITH ELLA ALDERTON
ELLA ALDERTON, wife of FRED, advised she was gone during the attack but her husband, daughter (TAMI) and her boy-friend were home. She advised the victim comes over to her house after school sometimes if she feels like it. Other times she stays home and watches TV if her mother is not home. She did not have anything more to add than what FRED had told the officer.
RECONTACT FROM ANONYMOUS SOURCE:
The undersigned had been contacted by an anonymous source and advised that the items of clothing from the child that were missing could be located at DIANE JOHNSON'S residence located right next to the ALDERTON'S.
CONTACT DIANE JOHNSON:
In the early evening hours of 3/8/89 the undersigned and TROOPER KRUGIELKI had contact with DIANE JOHNSON of National Mine. Her house is located directly above the scene of where the body was located. Her driveway is located in about the area where the dog attack took place. She stated that she did pick up a hat in her driveway which was pink in color. She did pick up a sleeve in the middle of the driveway. Also a boot and a sock on the left side of the road. These items were picked up by herself. placed in a bag and then placed in the entryway to her house and then sent to the dump the next day. She had done this due to the fact that she had asked the grandfather FRED what she should do. FRED told her to pick the items up and she stated she did. Upon picking them up, she said "what shall I do with them?" and the grandfather told her to throw them away.
CONTACT MADE WITH FRED ALDERTON:
The undersigned went to the FRED ALDERTON residence and asked MR. ALDERTON to return to the rear seat of Car #6120 and at that point asked MR. ALDERTON if what his neighbor, DIANE JOHNSON, had stated was true. He stated "Yes". He was advised that we had been looking for these items, however, now that they were destroyed there was no sense in looking any further. As far as any questions about the incident at this point in time FRED ALDERTON advised that he had none. As far as his daughter to the best of his knowledge, his daughter has none.
Undersigned attempted to contact PATTI NICKERSON every day and each day, upon calling. was told that she was sleeping. However, upon her returning the calls the undersigned was not in the office.
INTERVIEW WITH ROY & GAIL DELARYE
ROY DELARYE of County Road PBD, Rt. 1, Ishpeming, advised officer that approximately 11:40 A.M. he looked out the kitchen window and observed the 2 dogs that were later killed, ripping and tearing what he thought was a bag of trash or a deer hide. This was in the area where the body was found. He advised that it is not uncommon for dogs in the National Mine area to be roaming around getting into people's trash, etc. He advised that there is also a trapper in the area and sometimes he has animal carcasses taken from his property by animals in the area. He advised that when he observed all the commotion with the police, etc. he went down to the scene and then realized that it was a small child that the dogs had been at and not anything else. It was in his yard the second animal died. The animal ran into his breezeway area and was later removed and destroyed.
GAIL is the wife of ROY and lives at the same address. She advised at 11:30 A.M. she saw the victim get off the bus and walk up her driveway. She said the victim was fine at the time and no dogs were around. She stopped looking out the window and went back about her business. She said a few minutes later her husband called her to the window to show her the dogs and she related the same story as he did about them.
INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL DAILY
MICHAEL JAY DAILY, W/M DOB 9/3/66, 105 E. Montezuma, Houghton, MI is the owner of dog Number 1. When he is not going to college at Houghton, resides at the ALDERTON residence. He advised that Number 1 dog is his having purchased it from the Houghton Humane Society 2 weeks ago. The Aldertons had been keeping the animal for him for approximately one week. The dog was current on his shots, and he had no idea as to why it would have attacked the victim. He stated that the dog has not shown any aggression towards anybody since he has owned it.
INTERVIEW MICHAEL JAY DAILY:
On 3/7/89 at approximately 1:15 P.M. MICHAEL JAY DAILY was interviewed at his place of residence on Montezuma Avenue in the village of Houghton. Interview took place in the front seat of Car U8120. MR. DAILY was advised why the undersigned and the prosecutor were there and that we needed a verification of the information he had originally provided to the trooper involved. MR. DAILY advised that he picked up the dog approximately one week ago on a Thursday from a person in Ahmeek. MI. This person is the person who keeps the dogs for the Humane Society. MR. DAILY advised that he had gone to this location four or five times before he took the dog. Upon first taking the dog, he brought the dog to the Frat House in Houghton where the dog was kept until he left to take it to the ALDERTON residence. He clarified the day that he picked the dog up as stating "it was a couple of days before he got out of school on break" which he believes to be 2/23/89. He stated that during the time he had the dog in Houghton the dog did break loose and he did have trouble enticing the dog back to be rechained. He stated that. upon getting out on the break for spring. he went to the National Mine area and took the dog with him. The dog was chained at that residence until 3/1/89. He believes about 3/1/89 the dog was unchained. He has no idea who released the dog. however. he advised that ELLA ANDERTON said that if the dog stayed around he could stay off of the chain. As to the party he picked the dog up from at Ahmeek. he stated he believes the woman's name was ROBERTA NIEMI. As far as obtaining any paperwork from the Humane Society, he said no paperwork was exchanged between himself and ROBERTA NIEMI.
Upon arriving in the National Mine area and attempting to license the dog, he had taken it to DR. ALTO in Negaunee to obtain his shots. He advised that when he picked the dog up he had been told by ROBERTA NIEMI that the dog had been beaten and was afraid of men. This is the reason he went to the location where the dog was kept four or five times in an attempt to gain the dog's confidence. As far as being mean, MICHAEL advised he didn't think the dog was mean. As far as the day in question. he advised that his girlfriend TAMMY and himself had fallen asleep in ELLA ALDERTON'S house. They were responsible for watching for the child to come home from school but they knew nothing of the incident until ELLA ALDERTON came home and told them what had happened. To the best of their knowledge they had been asked by PATTI NICKERSON, mother of the victim to watch for the child as PATTI was going into town with her boyfriend to have her hair fixed. MICHAEL stated the child was supposed to come up to Grandma's house after school
AUTOPSY HELD
On 3/3/89 DR. RANDY SMITH performed an autopsy upon the victim at Marquette General Hospital. A large amount of polaroid photos were taken by the undersigned of the victim along with polaroid shots of the dogs involved.
Approximately one hundred and twenty-five (l25) 35 mm photographs
were also taken by the undersigned reference this complaint.
It appears that the child was attacked and partially eaten by one or more of the animals involved in her death. Most of the skin and muscle area on the buttocks had been stripped. The muscle and skin area of the legs was stripped. A large area was open between the chest and the hip in the right back area and a large amount of intestines had been removed.
AUTOPSY DOG #1
Dog #1. which is the large male. was autopsied by DR. RANDY SMITH. Found in the stomach content of this animal was what appears to be the material that was stripped from the victim. This dog's head was severed from its' body and then skinned revealing the skeletal portion of the head. The teeth part of the dog were fitted into several wounds on the child and it appeared to be this animal that caused most of the damage to the child.
AUTOPSY DOG #2
This is the smaller female dog that was seen tugging on the child's clothing. There was nothing found in this dog's stomach other than bile and blood. Its' head was also skinned and the teeth did not match up with the wounds on the child.
DR. RANDY JOHNSON, Marquette County Health Doctor, came into the room during the autopsy. Due to the type of death involved and the fact that there were 2 dogs involved, both of their brains are being shipped to the Health Dept. in Lansing to determine if they were rabid or not. Both of these brains were packaged separately and given to DR. RANDY JOHNSON who said he would transport these items to the Health Lab in Lansing.
On 3/8/89the undersigned was contacted by DR. RANDY SMITH and advised that he had been advised by DR. RANDY JOHNSON of the Marquette Co. Health Dept. that neither one of the dogs were rabid.
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