K-9 Fuzz
SEPTEMBER, 1982
Embedded Files
ANIMAL CRUELTY INVESTIGATION
ANIMAL CRUELTY INVESTIGATION
FUZZ EXAMINED AT GRAVESITE-SEPTEMBER 14, 1982
• After the September 12th interview with Boon, when Jean Gregoire made her accusations that Fuzz had died by abuse from Paul, APD Chief Willick ordered a full animal cruelty investigation.
• APD had a contract with Paul for K-9 services, and he ran the county jail where Auburn inmates were housed. There was caution believing Jean Gregoire because, four years earlier she had called in a false, “anonymous” complaint against Paul to PCSO. The caller said that she saw a PCSO car parked near her home while the deputy was supposed to be on patrol duty. The plan was to get Paul fired so Janet would divorce him. During the investigation into the complaint, both Paul and Janet listened to the tape, and confirmed that it was Jean’s voice. Following that incident, Janet cut off all contact with her parents, and had only starting seeing them again a few months prior to her disappearance.
• After interviewing all of Janet’s friends, co-workers, and neighbors, Auburn PD found a witness who had talked to Janet shortly after Fuzz’s death, and Janet told her that Fuzz had been sick, and they gave him aspirin—not that Paul had hurt the dog.
• Since Jean was the only source of the accusation, the investigation relied upon the veterinarian and the then-current condition of Fuzz’s remains (buried approximately three weeks earlier).
• Paul told investigators that Fuzz was buried on the property belonging to his parents at Lake Of The Pines. PCSO Lt. Landry and APD Sgt. Greg Odin obtained written permission from Paul's parents to search the property. Paul Kovacich Sr. signed a consent form for the search, helped locate the grave site, and offered his assistance to the officers.
• In Det. Odin’s report, the grave was described as being approximately 18 to 20 inches deep, with the body wrapped in a black plastic bag. Their written conclusion was “all appeared in order.”
• The officers examined the rest of the property and noted that they were: “unable to locate anything unusual.”
• They did not take any photos, and Auburn PD never produced a report showing that they submitted Fuzz’s remains for autopsy or toxicology testing. According to Paul’s father, he reburied Fuzz alone.
• On September 28, 1982, two weeks after Paul’s father reburied Fuzz, PCSO Deputy Dave Milam interviewed Jan Hershenhouse, the veterinarian who treated Fuzz the day he died:
• During his September 15th interview, Paul was asked why they hadn’t paid for an autopsy and he said that Janet told him that the cost would be more than $300, and money was very tight. He said that he and Janet agreed that the money could be better spent on Adolph at that point.
Dr. Hershenhouse inspected the Kovacich yard (charged $20), and later explained her reasoning for the visit:
Interview with DVM Jan Hershenhouse, March 28, 2005
• Paul and Janet had Dr. Hershenhouse keep the sample for toxicology testing in case she found a possible poison source when she inspected the Forest Court house and property. They were hoping that the inspection might be able to prove an intentional act. After Hershenhouse found nothing, she disposed of the sample. Dr. Hershenhouse explained to Auburn PD the reason that the type of poison needed to be identified prior to ordering any testing:
• Dr. Traynor was the Kovacich’s usual veterinarian, and he explained to Auburn PD that in 1982 it was normal for people to bury their dogs at home, and that necropsies were expensive. He also believed that it was the duty of the county to have ordered the examination and testing themselves if they had concerns:
• It’s unclear why investigators were asking Dr. Hershenhouse to guess about the cause of Fuzz’s death two weeks after they had already exhumed the dog, and could have reached a scientific conclusion:
• During a later interview with APD, Dr. Hershenhouse explained her examinaton of Fuzz:
• If Auburn PD or PCSO had ordered a necropsy of Fuzz, they would have immediately found the undigested pork rib bone that caused his death, and would have known specifically if it caused an intestinal/stomach perforation and infection, a blockage, or poison.
• They would have found no broken bones or signs of beating (as three anthropological exams in 2005-2008 conclusively determined ), and the issue would have been fully resolved in 1982.
• At trial, Chief Willick stated under oath that he wanted the testing done, but had no explanation for the absence of reports showing that it had happened.
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