In October 2017 I shared the news that the collar that Sage was wearing when he was found was going to be DNA tested.
There was an expectation that it could provide vital evidence because the collar did not belong to the family and it had been speculated that it was used to control Sage while he was being tortured. Apparently it is a black collar.
Jensen Investigations were involved in getting the DNAtest and funds were raised online for the purpose. Jensen announced it on Facebook:
And here:
There should have been some news on this by now or have I missed it? Does anyone know what happened to the DNA testing of this collar?
A need for progress
I hate to say it but the wonderful efforts of the Justice for Sage team are failing to produce results and it is not for want of trying. It is just that it is a very hard case to crack. These cat cruelty cases are. It is about evidence and the lack of it. There is often – nearly always – a lack of witnesses and evidence. As the months go by the case becomes colder and the chance of success fades.
I tend to go back to basics
I like to go to basics and the beginning of the story. Sage was found inside the cat flap. He was badly injured and as I recall it was unlikely he could have got there unaided. This begged the question whether someone in the house injured him in the house and put him there. Or someone put him through the cat flap. I have been told that the idea that someone in the house torture Sage is (1) a good possibility and (2) highly speculative and/or a non-starter. Perhaps my gut is misleading me badly but the initial evidence of Sage lying their near the cat flap points to someone in the house being the criminal. But this aspect of the case I feel is crucial.
It is highly unusual to find a tortured cat inside the home and not believe that the suspect was in the home at the time. I’ve read many cases of cat cruelty and when the cat is found in the home the crime happened in the home. And if this is an exception as Jensen says then my gut also tells me the perpetrator knows the people who were in the home at the time. Is it worthwhile going back to basics and reviewing the initial findings and suspects? Can we see the police papers? Who did they interview? I’d love to know more. I am a good detective.
The police would not turn over the collar for testing. Being a good detective, you know that DNA testing will only yield results if there is a sample to compare. And that cannot be done until an arrest is made. Suspects and persons of interest are not obligated to produce a DNA sample.
Jensen increased his fund, when he got permission from the family to have the collar tested. That was before the police refused to turn it over. The fund was not set up exclusively to test the collar. His fund is still being used for investigating the case.
Jensen is continuing to work on the case, often at his own expense. He is a highly qualified and credentialed professional. And, given the sensitive nature of this case, much of the information is not public. That said, Jensen has been a lot more transparent than the police, who only made one public statement, during their short lived investigation.
Under the new admins, the Justice for Sage Facebook page became a forum for unsubstantiated gossip and discredited hearsay. Although not a cause and effect relationship, the page has been shut down. A new page has been set up for people who are serious about solving the case. It’s called Justice for Sage the Cat.
I disagree with the police. There is a great advantage to DNA testing. They could compare it against a database of existing criminals. Is that no possible? Or they could arrest a suspect in the future in the course of their investigation if they reopened it. There is no harm in keeping a DNA test for possible comparison. It is much safer to keep a DNA test result on computer and backed up than the collar itself which may go missing or be tampered with. I think the police have done a poor job on this.
I don’t want to be critical but from an outsider’s perspective the case looks cold to me. Nothing of note has happened which genuinely progresses the case. I don’t feel you are any nearer to catching the criminal. I very much hope I am badly mistaken.
Yes, there are many of us who agree that the police have done a poor job on this. That is why we are now working with a private investigator. He has uncovered many leads, but has not as of yet been able to nail down anything specific. He is a highly qualified and credentialed investigator, who knows how to think outside the box. We are highly confident that we will find the killer(s). Of note, he is an expert on, and has solved other cold cases. So, with the passage of time, he is not in the least bit discouraged. Given the sensitive nature of the case, not all of his leads are public information. When he does have something to announce, we will post it on our Justice for Sage the Cat Facebook page.
If people are interested, they can check in here from time to time —
https://www.facebook.com/Justiceforsagethecat/
Jean, I know you say that he is highly competent and I believe you. However, I sense the case is fizzling out or has fizzled out. It has gone cold. Out of interest and while communicating with you how does Jensen work out how Sage got inside the cat flap and just into the home when he was so badly injured. Does the condition he was in when found and his location support the theory that he was tortured by a serial cat abuser unconnected to the cat’s owner and made his way inside the home of his own accord?
His condition definitely supports the fact that there was a serial cat killer in the neighborhood, especially when you consider the fact that two other cats were found with similar injuries, in the same neighborhood as Sage. All incidents happened on a Wednesday, within a week of each other.
And, an idea was posted right here on your page, over a year ago, that Sage may have been pushed through the doggie door.
The Justice for Sage page is now being run by admins who disagree with Jensen’s theory that there is a serial killer loose and their opinion is that it is a family member. They just posted the other day that Jensen allegedly received $3000 in donations from a gofundme page specifically for DNA testing of the collar over a year ago and he has never mentioned it again even to say results are in or no evidence was found or anything, obviously infuriating a lot of people. My opinion is the black collar is a red herring planted by the family to support the random serial killer story. No one was asking about the collar and Sage’s owner made a huge deal on social media about making sure to state they never saw that collar and her “friend” is an expert in DNA testing and knows it will not have evidence. What a coincidence for her to have a “friend” that is an expert. BS.
Thanks for this. About four hours ago I asked Jensen about the DNA test on the collar (on his FB page). He saw the message soon afterwards (FB tells you if a message is read). He has not responded as yet.
This was my message:
FACT: Jensen Investigations agreed to take the case on August 11, 2017. He set up an account of $2,500 to help cover his expenses. When he received permission from the family to conduct a DNA test on a collar that Sage was wearing (not Sage’s collar), he increased his fund to $3,000, of which $3,050 was raised. He was subsequently notified that the police have the collar, and will not release it, for the time being. Jensen has been working the case ever since. He set up another account of $2,500 for continuing expenses related to the case, of which $1,325 has been raised. At no time, did Jensen state that the fund would go exclusively for DNA testing of the collar.
The Justice for Sage the Cat page is no longer run by those admins who believe that a family member killed Sage. The admins are working with Jensen.
Thanks Jean.