Woman finds dead dog in Ellmau – owner wanted on animal cruelty charges

How investigators found the owner

According to police, the suspect is a German national who apparently had an employment relationship in Austria. „Der Verdächtige hatte offenbar ein Arbeitsverhältnis in Österreich“, so der Sprecher. „Der Mann hatte sich zuvor in seiner Personalunterkunft aufgehalten.“ When the accommodation was checked, however, the wanted man had already disappeared.

The authorities were no longer able to find the 38-year-old at his last known location. „In seiner Unterkunft war der Mann jedoch nicht anzutreffen – der 38-Jährige hatte diese bereits endgültig verlassen“, sagte der Sprecher. „Wo er sich aktuell befand, war jedoch unklar.“ The search is therefore underway for a fugitive.

Search for the suspect

Police classify the case as an act of animal cruelty and are seeking the man with a European arrest warrant. „Der Deutsche wurde wegen des Verdachts der Tierquälerei gesucht“, sagte der Polizeisprecher am Montag. Investigators are accepting tips from the public, for example on the suspect's possible whereabouts or sightings.

The investigations are still ongoing. „Nähere Informationen zu dem Fall würden noch nicht vorliegen“, meinte der Sprecher. The public prosecutor's office and the criminal police are continuing to work on clarifying how the animal's death came about and what role the owner played. Whether possible accomplices were involved is also part of the ongoing checks.

Reactions and state of the investigation

The case has caused concern in the region. Animal welfare organisations in Tyrol have for years pointed to the legal classification of animal cruelty as a criminal offence in Austria and to the options available to informants to report suspected cases to the police. The dead dog was initially taken into veterinary care after being recovered, in order to document the cause of death more precisely.

Parallel to the criminal investigation, animal welfare law checks are being carried out into whether the dog had previously come to attention and whether possible neighbours or acquaintances could have provided information on neglect. The case will be pursued with rigour, the spokesperson emphasised.

The criminal police are asking the public to provide any relevant information that could lead to the suspect being found. Tips are being accepted at any police station as well as at the criminal police in Kufstein. The evaluation of the secured evidence and witness interviews are continuing.

Should the suspicion against the 38-year-old be confirmed, he faces severe penalties under Austrian law for animal cruelty. The authorities also do not rule out that the wanted man has gone into hiding across Austria's borders; international cooperation between police authorities has already begun.

The inquiries are expected to become more concrete in the coming days, police announced. Until then, the case remains a slap in the face for the people in and around Ellmau – the animal, which according to the current state of affairs was not spared days of starvation, is at the centre of the investigation.