Sage the cat torture case: what the public can do to keep the investigation going

Almost 2 months ago, Animal Care and Control and Clearfield City Police Department stated in a letter that they had exhausted all potential leads relating to this case. They also stated that the case was not currently active at that time but could be reopened.

They said that their silence was not indicative of an end to the case and they requested information from the public that might assist in resolving it.

The concerned public, I’m sure, are upset that the perpetrator has not been caught and that the investigation is dormant, fizzling out with apparent little likelihood of making further progress.

The investigators want the public to help. However, in a further document from them (see above) they are very guarded in their disclosure with respect to their investigation. In short, they don’t tell us what information they have gathered which falls short of sufficient evidence to prosecute the perpetrator of the crime. At this stage they need to be fully transparent as there is nothing to lose. Suspicious minded people might feel that the police are hiding behind non-disclosure to protect themselves from defeciencies in their investigation.

If the public don’t know the extent of the information that the police have it is difficult to provide them with “additional information”. The public needs to know the existing information before they can add to it.

It seems certain that the criminal being sought by the authorities is someone who was inside the home where Sage was living at the time and where he was tortured to death. Therefore the pool of suspects is very small. The public would like to know whether the investigation dealt with all those living inside the property at the time and most particularly the boyfriend of the primary complainant, cat’s owner China Cassel.

It seems to me that China is the key to providing evidence and that a primary suspect is her boyfriend Alex. How much of the investigation focused on that couple? Has DNA been obtained from the room where Sage was tortured? Was there any human DNA on Sage? Please remind me: have Sage’s remains been cremated? If the public knew the answer to these questions they would then be in a better place to make further suggestions and potentially provide new evidence.

Man living with cat’s owner in family home tortured Sage the cat

Some followers of this high profile and disturbing case of animal abuse would suggest that the Clearfield Police Department and Animal Control need to be pushed a little bit in order to extend their investigation. They can be pushed. As I understand it, the public can make a formal complaint using a form which can be seen by clicking on the link below. Please try and find 20 minutes in your daily life to complete and post the form. You may be able to convert it to PDF and email it as an attachment.

Utah Attorney General Complaint Form

If the police and Animal Control are now reliant upon the public then I would suggest that the public currently do one thing and that is to complain, politely. The complaint form contains boxes where additional information can be added.

All the evidence that the police require is contained in the minds of those present in the home at the time of Sage’s torture. They are keeping quiet. Perhaps somebody else may know something, something which may seem irrelevant, which may progress the investigation. Progress is desperately needed in the interests of justice for Sage and to satisfy the public.

Historically, the public is starved of enough success in the prosecution of animal abuse cases. A marker need to be put down in the form of a successful prosecution against an animal abuser. The public demands it.