The quiet neighborhood where Paulina Mejia, a 21-year-old new mother, resides with her two mixed-breed dogs, Chicharrón and Chichareen, became the unlikely scene of a burgeoning murder mystery. On August 20th, just a week after Mejia gave birth to her daughter, Meilani, her canine companions made a gruesome discovery: a human skull, bearing a single bullet hole and remnants of hair and teeth, was dragged into their yard. The chilling find immediately suggested a recent death, possibly within the past year, due to the skull’s strong scent, according to Mejia. This marked the beginning of an ongoing investigation that would involve not only law enforcement but also the keen, albeit macabre, instincts of Mejia’s dogs.
The initial discovery of the skull prompted immediate action from law enforcement. Police meticulously canvassed the surrounding vacant properties and scrutinized doorbell camera footage, hoping to uncover clues that might lead them to the rest of the remains and potentially identify the victim. However, their efforts yielded minimal results, leaving investigators with more questions than answers. The area around Mejia’s home, characterized by dense woods and an abandoned school nearby, became the focal point of speculation, raising the unsettling possibility of a body hidden within the thick undergrowth. The skull was sent to the Jefferson County Coroner’s office, where a DNA profile was developed. However, a search of CODIS, the national DNA database, yielded no matches, leaving the victim’s identity shrouded in mystery.
The investigation took a dramatic turn on December 12th, when Chicharrón, one of the dogs involved in the initial skull discovery, was found with another human bone, a left tibia, in the front yard of Mejia’s residence. A passerby noticed the dog playing with the bone near the street and promptly alerted authorities. Unlike the skull, the tibia was relatively clean, suggesting a different stage of decomposition or perhaps a different location of origin. This second discovery solidified the dogs’ unwitting role in this unfolding mystery and further intensified the investigation. The recovery of the tibia raised a crucial question: did it belong to the same individual whose skull was found months earlier? The answer hinged on DNA testing, which, unfortunately, wouldn’t yield results until March.
With conventional investigative methods proving insufficient, authorities turned their attention to understanding the dogs’ movements, hoping their natural instincts might lead them to the source of the remains. Recognizing the dogs’ potential role in solving the case, the coroner’s office collaborated with Mejia and other neighborhood residents to map out the dogs’ usual roaming territory. This information would prove crucial in directing future searches, especially those involving cadaver dogs, which are specially trained to locate human remains. In a strategic move, Chichareen was fitted with a tracking device, allowing officials to monitor its movements and pinpoint areas the dog frequented. The data collected from the tracker would provide valuable insights and increase the likelihood of successful searches.
As the investigation continued, the community held its breath, hoping for a resolution to the unsettling mystery. Mejia, meanwhile, expressed pride in her dogs’ unexpected contribution to the case, acknowledging their potential to help solve a crime that had thus far eluded traditional investigative techniques. The scarcity of missing person reports in the area further underscored the importance of the dogs’ discoveries, offering a glimmer of hope in identifying the unknown victim and bringing closure to the case. The possibility of a third bone being discovered by the dogs remained open, adding another layer of anticipation to the ongoing investigation. As the weeks turned into months, the community anxiously awaited the results of the DNA testing on the tibia and the insights gleaned from Chichareen’s tracking data, hoping they would finally shed light on the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding their death.
This macabre tale, unfolding in a quiet Alabama neighborhood, highlights the unexpected ways in which seemingly ordinary events can intersect with criminal investigations. The dogs, Chicharrón and Chichareen, named after a Portuguese pork rind dish, became unlikely heroes, their natural instincts potentially unlocking a mystery that had baffled human investigators. Their gruesome discoveries, while unsettling, offered crucial clues and directed the course of the investigation, demonstrating the potential for even the most unexpected participants to play a vital role in the pursuit of justice. The case remains open, awaiting the results of ongoing tests and searches, with the hope that the dogs’ contributions will ultimately lead to the identification of the victim and the apprehension of those responsible for their death.
