Getting their first dog is one of the most exciting moments a child can experience. But a boy named Chase only had a month with his Lab dog named Sam before she disappeared. The 5-month-old puppy ran away from the family’s apartment in Boise, Idaho.
Sam is still missing after more than a month of searching, but Chase’s father, Chico McKinney, refuses to give up. After one sighting and some annoying text messages, he’s more determined than ever to bring the pup home. But now, he suspects that she has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom.
Start search
McKinney spent the first week spreading fliers around the neighborhood and going door to door asking to be seen. He said Sam has cream colored fur, but has a few brown spots on her shoulders. She also has no pigmentation in her nose or around her eyes and mouth.
McKinney said: ‘She’s about 5 months old so she’s probably still pretty small and pretty. “Someone said they saw her walking on Kootenai and Owyhee, someone was walking her, some college-age kids,” they said.
But after that first sighting, McKinney didn’t hear from him for a while. They had no luck searching near where the puppy was seen. Later, McKinney received a suspicious message asking if the reward was still available.
Weird text messages
When most people find a lost dog, their first message is something along the lines of “I found your dog.” So asking about the first reward made McKinney wonder. However, he confirms that there is still a reward and asks if they have found her.
After McKinney asked to be photographed, this person sent several photos of Sam, which made McKinney feel better. However, the person wants proof of ownership, such as paperwork from the breeder, before they return her. McKinney told them he was only comfortable giving that information directly, and then the person stopped responding.
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Within minutes, McKinney received another unusual message claiming that Sam was dead. This seemed even more suspicious, and McKinney assumed the suspects were just trying to get him to stop looking.
“So my friend informed you about your dog and I regret to inform you that she is no longer alive, I don’t know how but they found your ad. and think the bonus will apply. She’s in the backyard being buried, she’s been there for a few days now. My friends just want rewards. I am truly sorry,” the text said.
Help bring Sam home!
After that, McKinney finally decided to ask the police to intervene. However, they cannot trace the phone numbers because they come from internet-based numbers. McKinney said he will keep looking for as long as there is hope.
“As long as it needs to be,” McKinney said. “I mean, I don’t think we’re going to give up until we don’t think there’s any hope. And right now, I still feel like there is hope.”
McKinney said if the people with Sam did the right thing, he wouldn’t get mad and he would thank them. So, if anyone has information on Sam’s location, they can call Ada County emergency dispatch at 208-377-6790, Crime Stoppers at 208-343-2677 or number on the flyer at 208-860-3197.
Featured pictures: YouTube
