This past Monday, August 30, early in the morning, IDA staff spotted on the internet a deeply disturbing video – a young girl had been filmed tossing live newborn puppies into a fast moving river. There was no indication of where or when the act had occurred. We called an emergency staff meeting and decided to do whatever we could to help catch the killer.

IDA’s Communications Team and Investigative Team that included a staff cruelty investigator, a linguist and a private detective, got to work researching and working our international contacts, including activists in neighboring Croatia, and we offered a reward for information leading to her arrest, prosecution, and conviction. We immediately reposted the video and circulated it around the world – it received over 60,000 views in four days. We issued a news release and spread it across Europe, since various elements of the video gave it a “European feel” and an earlier poster of the video felt he had identified the river as one in Bosnia.

We received dozens of tips through our Twitter and Facebook accounts and via e-mail.

We’re happy to report that a girl believed to be the perpetrator was caught today by police in Bosnia. The suspect is from the central Bosnian town of Bugojno. We’ll continue to follow this story and do whatever we can to ensure this individual, if she is indeed guilty, receives the maximum punishment allowed under Bosnian law. It appears that, under Bosnian law, she faces a fine of from $19 (US) to $6,400.

Many thanks to all of you who assisted in the search!