The police determined it was foxes.....but who knows!
Scotland Yard is closing a long-running investigation into the so-called Croydon cat killer, saying the most likely culprits are foxes.
The Metropolitan Police announced the findings today after reports that a serial cat killer was behind the slaughter and mutilation of up to 500 pets across the UK. For nearly three years, police and animal activists have been hunting for a culprit, also dubbed the M25 cat killer, who was suspected of bludgeoning animals to death before dissecting their corpses.
At one point a team of 15 Scotland Yard officers was deployed on the trail of the suspect, who was even likened to Jack the Ripper.
Animal activists put up a £10,000 reward for his or her capture, while animal-lovers such as actor Martin Clunes urged the police chiefs to step up their search.
Police concluded that cats were more likely to have been killed by foxes than a human attacker (Alamy) Today Scotland Yard announced that a review of all the evidence had found no trace of human involvement, with no CCTV sightings, no witnesses and no forensic leads.
The force revealed that a vet who had carried out post-mortem examinations of six “suspicious cat deaths” had “re-assessed” his findings of human involvement.
Initially, the veterinary pathologist concluded that the cause of death was blunt force trauma, and that the bodies had been dissected with a sharp instrument. Now the same vet has re-examined the bodies and found puncture wounds he had not noticed before, concluding they were likely to have been hit by cars and then scavenged by foxes.
Scotland Yard highlighted similar cases investigated by officers in Hertfordshire, where post-mortem examinations were carried out on three cats and two rabbits in June.
Dr Henny Martineau, head of veterinary forensic pathology at the Royal Veterinary College who assisted the Hertfordshire inquiry, concluded that the mutilations had been caused by “predation and/or scavenging” and said fox DNA had been found around the wounds on all five bodies.
In addition, the police review uncovered three cases of CCTV showing foxes carrying bodies or body parts of cats.
In June last year, a cat’s head was found in a school playground in Catford. CCTV showed a fox carrying it into the playground.
The following month a witness found the body of a cat with no head
... keep reading on reddit ➡Will this individual escalate?
Why cats?
How is this person catching them ? Strays and outdoor cats are typically skittish and fearful of humans.
Where is the actual killing taking place?
The Croydon Cat Killer (also referred to by the media as the UK Cat Killer or the M25 Cat Killer is thought to have killed, dismembered and decapitated more than 450 cats across England, beginning in 2014 in Croydon. Further killings were recorded in November 2016, with 10 more cat deaths being confirmed by police as linked. The attacks have since spread across and around London, and as far north as Manchester.
https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/croydon-cat-killer
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croydon_Cat_Killer
https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/05/london-serial-cat-murderer/amp
Edit : I added some questions/talking points to discuss regarding the case
Police have arrested a man in connection with a number of brutal cat killings – sparking belief that the Croydon cat killer may finally have been caught. The 31-year-old, who has not been named, was detained in relation to several cat mutilations, killings and arsons, this week.
The arrest follows the latest cat death discoveries, in which five family pets were found mutilated around Northampton over Christmas. However, the man has since been released under investigation. The deaths are being treated as part of a Metropolitan Police probe into several killings across England, including those by the so-called Croydon cat killer. All five of the cats from Northampton were all dismembered in a similar way – with their heads cut off.
http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/06/man-arrested-five-cats-found-decapitated-case-linked-croydon-cat-killer-7208887/
One of the most comprehensive articles about the case, from the BBC in autumn 2017 Another documentary segment, from ITV
Some earlier threads from this subreddit: 6 months ago, 8 months ago, 1 year ago
This was first reported widely in 2015, when an official police investigation was launched. Press reports differ on numbers, but recent ones always say over 300 animals killed, some up to 500. Incidents officially linked go back to 2014 but some people have described similar fates befalling pets some years earlier. Earlier reports were about cats, but over the last year or so, there have been more about pet rabbits and wild foxes too. The attacks have been concentrated around London and the South East, with some considerably further afield - the most recent in Merseyside. PMs are carried out on the deceased cats and there are hallmarks of what the killer does, which are apparently not public (although the ITV documentary goes into some detail), enabling the police to link cases. The investigation is singular for the official involvement of what are essentially amateur sleuths, a couple who run an animal rescue, SNARL in South London (a phenomenon which arguably highlights the uniqueness of the case, the huge numbers of animals involved, and the strain on police funding in the UK).
On a couple of occasions this year, individuals have been arrested and then found to be either responsible for only a small number of local killings of pet animals, which were not linked, or they were released without charge.
Over autumn/winter 2017-18 I read SNARL social media feeds regularly (Facebook; Twitter] and the overall impression was that they and the police believe it is probably one individual responsible, although they did not want to say so absolutely. This was one point on which posters frequently asked questions. Another was why had h
... keep reading on reddit ➡> Croydon Cat Killer: Scotland Yard spent more than £8k on pet post-mortems
In three cases, CCTV footage showed foxes carrying cats' lifeless bodies in their jaws.
The Met said it 'took note of expert opinion' which highlighted how wildlife can be known to scavenge on roadkill, often removing limbs before dumping the corpse.
Chief Inspector Stuart Orton, who led the investigation in Hertfordshire, added: 'The evidence suggests that the animals had been predated by foxes - in a rabbit's case after being removed from a hutch, and in a cat's case after death, likely caused by a road traffic collision.
'I hope this conclusion brings comfort to pet owners who have, up until now, been frightened to let their animals out at night.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6508145/Scotland-Yard-spent-8k-post-mortems-pets-Croydon-Cat-Killer.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-41595585
I am genuinely baffled as to why this person has not been caught yet. The south-east of England, which is where most of these murders have occurred, is one of the most heavily monitored CCTV places on earth. Most of the victims are cats, but there have also been other animals. Animal's bodies have been left out in the open since the killings began in 2015, left on doorsteps and on streets etc. I am going to speculate that over the course of 370 murders, the murderer is on CCTV somewhere.
I personally think that if Scotland Yard were to become involved with the case it could be resolved pretty quickly. Obviously they may be reluctant to resolve non-human killing cases but due to the considerable amount of victims coupled with the fact that often serial killers start out by torturing animals, I think that they should. The human victims left morning their beloved pets have reported to be suffering from fear, feeling unsettled and pain from losing their cats.
Many people seem fairly certain that it is a lone male doing these brutal killings. If it was someone with an obvious mental illness, surely someone would have noticed? Equally, the killing seems to move around London boroughs frequently and has apparently killed as far as Birmingham - So this person is able to freely move around.
Thoughts?
Background
A bit of background:
>The Metropolitan Police began to investigate a series of incidents in November 2015, under the name Operation Takahe, after the South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) raised concerns about a series of cats found dead and missing their heads and tails. Police initially looked into whether the cats had been attacked by other animals such as foxes. By February 2016, the deaths of 10 cats had been linked by an examining vet. Following investigation into the mutilated remains, police believed a person or persons unknown to be responsible, and cat owners in the areas were advised not to let their cats out at night.
Recently (the end of August, 2017), the police published a description of the killer:
> He is said to be a white man in his 40s with short brown hair, dressed in dark clothing, possibly with acne scarring to his face. It also says he may be wearing a headlamp or carrying a torch.
New Article
The new article from the BBC can be found here.
I was unaware just how many more incidents had been reported. It is now estimated that the suspect has killed more than 370 animals, mostly pet cats, but also foxes, rabbits and possibly a wild, baby owl.
The piece has interesting graphics that geographically plot the linked cases and how they've appeared to spread over the last three years. If all these incidents were committed by the same perpetrator, the data shows a concerning level of escalation.
Points to discuss
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Do you believe this was all the work of one person, or has the publicity of the case led to the crimes being mimicked by others?
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If these crimes continue to escalate, how do you think they will do so? (e.g. frequency, brutality).
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Apart from keeping pets indoors at night, what else can owners do to help keep their animals and neighbourhood safe? How could they go about trying to record and document suspicious behaviour (e.g. CCTV, neighbourhood watch)?
Since 2015, there has been a person killing and mutilating cats and foxes in various parts of England. There have been nearly 400 victims and the scumbag hasn’t been caught. There is a dedicated police operation set up specifically to investigate/catch him. The fear is that he will turn to killing humans, if he hasn’t already done so.
Anyway, I mention this here as there is some interesting psychological and geographical profiling that reminded me of some aspects of EAR/ONS.
www.bbc.com/news/magazine-41595585
He targets quiet middle-class suburban areas, especially properties with easy side/rear access to alleyways and paths, etc. He seems very forensically aware. Profilers say he is very angry at either women in general, or a specific woman.
Tragically, as cats do not have the same legal protection as dogs under England and Wales law, it is likely that if caught, he could only be convicted of criminal damage, the maximum sentence (for “items” valued under £5,000) is 3 months in prison and/or a £2,500 fine.
Cats are protected by animal cruelty legislation, but because this sicko kills the cats instantly (always mutilating them after death), it doesn’t meet the cruelty element necessary to prosecute under this law.
Just saw this article about the unresolved deaths of 500 animals.
The ‘Croydon cat killer’ hunt has lasted three grisly years. But is he man or myth?
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/aug/08/croydon-cat-killer-hunt-three-years-man-myth?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard
Any ideas?
I read an article today and got interested. I am not sure this person actually categorise as a serial killer as the M25 cat killer seems to be an animal serial killer only (as far as we know).
Anyways - long story short : How is it possible catch this M25/Croydon Cat killer ? It seems that it's or one very disturbed/smart fellow, or a lot of "copy cats" - 230+ dead cats, no CCTV, no evidence, no witnesses. A reward (10,000 GBP) , and a mystery.
As an example, I have been wondering if such person exists, would he look or update his own Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M25_cat_killer&action=history
See anything in particular in there ?
Someone catching and beheading hundred of cats must somehow have a weakness and make a mistake at some point - If so, how would you catch him.
The Metropolitan Police today closed the investigation, issuing a statement that the most likely culprit was foxes. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/croydon-cat-killer-unmasked-police-reveal-culprits-after-three-year-investigation-and-500-deaths-a3940956.html
The Croydon Cat Killer (or M25 Cat Killer) is an unidentified individual or group thought to have killed, dismembered and decapitated more than 250 cats beginning in 2014 in Croydon, but since spreading across and around London.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M25_cat_killer
With many cat lovers on Reddit, this would be great case to look into. Police has gotten nowhere.
