Is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Government Dragging Its Feet in the Barceloneta Pet Massacre Investigation?

ASPCA has offered to the Commonwealth Department of Justice, free of costs, the services of a distinguished Forensic Veterinarian, Dr. Melinda Merck (photo at right), who worked in the Michael Vick case. She had offered to come to San Juan this past weekend. All that was needed was the go-ahead from the Secretary of Justice. This is all to assist in the criminal investigation of the Barceloneta Massacre. As indicated in this ASPCA blog post here, this is some of what she has to say about the need for forensic veterinarians:

What tools do you use to do your job?

Because of TV shows like CSI and Law and Order, real-life jurors expect forensic science to back up all the evidence presented to them—and animal cruelty cases are no exception. These days, jurors don’t just want any old evidence—they want forensic evidence.

“It’s because of ‘the CSI effect,’” says ASPCA Forensic Veterinarian, Dr. Melinda Merck, who literally wrote the book on using science in investigating animal cruelty. Merck, who often testifies as a forensic veterinary expert for animal cruelty cases around the country—including animal hoarding, dog fighting and animal torture—has also recently authored the textbook Veterinary Forensics: Animal Cruelty Investigations.

Unfortunately, her visit to Puerto Rico this past weekend did not materialize. The reason given for not having her come down this past weekend (see article here) was that Commonwealth prosecutors indicated it would take too long to obtain permits from the Commonwealth's Environmental Quality Board and the Department of Natural Resources so that the distinguished doctor could unearth the massacred pets. This is a very poor excuse! In fact, one can only conclude that it is foot-dragging by the Commonwealth Government, as the buried animals quickly decompose.

I would hate to think that this has something to do with the fact that Barceloneta Mayor Sol Luis Fontanez belongs to the same political party as the Governor. In the meantime, the Police Superintendent reports as to how evidence has been lost here. If evidence has been lost or destroyed, much blame falls in the hands of the Police Superintendent. What steps were taken to preserve evidence? None! It is true that Animal Control Solutions President Julio Díaz Cintrón has his hands dirtied with destruction of evidence, but much of that could have been prevented by the authorities if they had acted with a minimum degree of competence. As the Puerto Rico Tourism Company puts up its arms in disgust with the adverse press publicity this pet massacre has received world-wide, one would think that the Government would do all in its power to make sure that wrongdoers do not go unpunished. Such does not seem to be the way things are working out.

Maldonado v. Municipality of Barceloneta - or the "Barceloneta Massacre"

In photo, Leisha Swayne, Cruelty Investigations Consultant for the RED de Protectores de Animales (The Animal Protectors Network), and Yoli, one of only two survivors of the Barceloneta Pet Massacre. We have posted a link under "Animal Rights Cases" in the sidebar to the Complaint filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico in the so-called "Barceloneta Massacre" case, or Maldonado v. Municipality of Barceloneta, et al.., No. 07-1992 (JAG), claiming in excess of $20 million. This is the case in which the pets taken from their owners under threat of eviction from their public housing, were thereafter thrown to their deaths from a bridge some 50 feet high. You have to read the Complaint. See video at ABC News. Also see posts at Manos por Patas blog here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.