Eddie & Keela

Some info on Eddie & Keela and how good and vitally important they were regarded by South Yorkshire Police. Not just any dogs having a 'sniff around' as kate mccann likes to put it

Its very rare an animal earns more than a human unless the animal is exceptional & reliable



The English sniffer dogs that are helping in the hunt for Madeleine
Last updated at 12:58 10 August 2007

A dog who was 'earning' more money than her force's Chief Constable has been brought in to help Portuguese police in their hunt for missing Madeleine McCann. Specially-trained Keela was flown to Praia da Luz in the Algarve last week because she can detect human blood - even after items have been cleaned or washed many times.

Keela, and another English springer spaniel called Eddie, have now both been enlisted in the hunt for the missing four-year-old.

Keela hit the headlines two years ago because she was earning more than her force's Chief Constable. The South Yorkshire Police dog has already helped forces across the country, including working on the high-profile stabbing of pregnant mother Abigail Witchalls in Surrey, and was being hired out for £530 per day, plus expenses. Back then she would have been earning almost £200,000 - around £70,000 more than her force's Chief Constable - if she worked every day of the year.

She has been trained to ignore decomposing body materials other than human blood. And instead of barking when she smells blood, she has been trained to have a "passive" alert - freezing with her nose as near to the subject matter as possible without touching, to enable scientists to recover the sample quickly and efficiently.

This technique has saved time and money on major investigations.

She can search any area, including houses, cars, boats, both indoors and outdoors, and will lead her handler to spots of blood so small that humans cannot see them. She screens textiles and can pick out traces of blood even after clothing has been washed many times or weapons cleaned.

When Keela was working on the Abigail Witchalls case she found eight piece of blood-stained clothing in just one day. Now the dogs have been brought in to help after the police looking into her disappearance re-focused on the McCanns' holiday apartment. Madeleine has now been missing for 99 days and police are increasingly desperate for any kind of breakthrough in her case - as are her parents Kate and Gerry, who are still in Portugal.

Both sniffer dogs are attached to South Yorkshire Police. Eddie is a "victim recovery dog" who can detect blood and human remains.

It appears highly likely that Keela was the dog who was brought in by British detectives last week who located tiny traces of blood in the McCanns' apartment despite alleged attempts to wash them off. Police are still waiting for the results of tests on the recovered traces, which arrived yesterday at a top UK forensic laboratory.

The sniffer dogs have already travelled around Britain, and to Ireland and the US to help police investigating murder and missing person cases.

A dog diary about Keela on the South Yorkshire Police website when she was six months old says she and Eddie live "with my dad" at home in Bawtry, Doncaster.
It reads: "He is going to train me to search for very small spots of blood at crime scenes, so small that the humans can't see it. "My very sensitive nose will be able to smell the blood and I will show Dad where it is. He can then show the scientists so that they can take samples." South Yorkshire Police were unavailable for comment last night.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-474446/The-English-sniffer-dogs-helping-hunt-Madeleine.html


Keela's Nose Makes Her Top Dog

11:52, UK, Friday 30 December 2005


Keela is a top dog in the police world, earning more in a day than her force's Chief Constable by working on some of the country's highest-profile crimes.
The 16-month-old springer spaniel can sniff out the smallest samples of human blood - even after items have been cleaned or washed many times.
The South Yorkshire Police dog has already helped forces across the country, including working on the stabbing of Abigail Witchalls in Surrey.
Her going rate is £530 per day, plus expenses.
If she worked every day of the year, she would earn almost £200,000 - around £70,000 more than her force's Chief Constable.
In the New Year, Keela will be travelling to America to assist the FBI with two murder inquiries.
A South Yorkshire force spokeswoman said the crime scene investigation dog has saved more then £200,000 nationally since April this year, helping with investigations in Ireland, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Surrey and the Thames Valley areas.
Her handler, PC Martin Grime, has been responsible for training Keela, along with National Search Adviser Mark Harrison, since June last year.
Unlike ordinary police dogs, Keela has never taken part in the usual six-week training course but has been trained, bit by bit, by PC Grime every day.
Her programme involved training her to ignore decomposing body materials other than human blood.
Instead of barking when she smells blood, she has been trained to have a "passive" alert - freezing with her nose as near to the subject matter as possible without touching, to enable scientists to recover the sample quickly and efficiently.
This technique has saved time and money on major investigations.
South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes said: "Keela's training gives the force an edge when it comes to forensic investigation, which we should recognise and use more often.
"We know we have an operationally excellent dog section, and our specialist dogs are being developed in a unique way."


http://news.sky.com/story/395084/keelas-nose-makes-her-top-dog

On the Reliability of Cadaver dogs
Dogs trained to detect the smell of human cadaverine are now routinely used
throughout the world. We examine some of the leading cases.
From the outset it is important to note that a dog cannot give “evidence“ in a
criminal trial. In most jurisdictions evidence has to be subject to examination and
cross examination by learned counsel, and this is clearly impossible. On many
occasions the alert by the dog will result in the discovery of remains and it will be
that which become the primary evidence. The fact that the dog indicted where to
look becomes a side issue, of no particular importance.
Here we look at some occasions when the dog alerts, but no significant physical
evidence can be found at the time. The best that can be achieved in these
circumstances is that the handler of the animal gives evidence of the dog’s
reactions, often with video confirmation, and can then be cross examined on his
interpretation of the animal’s behaviour.
(I shall refer to the cases by the name of the deceased or missing person, rather
than by the Trial reference, because of the ways in which these differ across
jurisdictions)

1 The case with a legal significance may not yet have been fully appreciated,
is that of Jeanette Zapata. in Dane Country, USA. In 1976 she served her
husband Eugene Zapata with divorce papers. She went missing shortly
afterwards. 29 years later dogs alerted in the basement of the family home, and in
several other places where the family had lived over the intervening time. At trial
his lawyer persuaded the judge that the dog’s finding could not be admitted, since
the places in which they had alerted indicated that he had carried the body round to
everywhere he had lived, and it was suggested that this was preposterous The
jury failed to reach a verdict. Before his retrial however, he confessed, and
crucially confirmed that he had in fact transported the body round before disposing
of it. The dogs had been absolutely accurate. No body has been found.

2 The recent case of Bianca Jones, a 2 year old girl murdered by her father
D’Andre Lane in Detroit USA, with the added details of an alleged abduction, was
an occasion when Mr Martin Grime, a British retired police officer, was working for
the FBI. His evidence of the alerts by his dog was admitted to show that Bianca
was dead whilst in the back of the car, and not taken by armed men as was being
alleged. Lane was convicted, though no body has ever been found.

3 The trial of Adrian Prout, in 2010, for the murder of Kate Prout, his wife, in
the UK, was notable again for a verdict of guilty, despite no body having been
found. Dogs had indicted the presence of a body in the house, but nothing had
been found. Some time after his conviction Prout confessed, and indicted the
location of the body, confirming that the dogs had been absolutely accurate in
their findings.

4 In the murder of Susan Pilley in Edinburgh, by her colleague David Gilroy, in
2010, the court heard that the dogs had alerted in the office basement garage and
in two areas of the boot of Gilroy’s car, even though this had been cleaned recently
with fluid or air freshener. The defence failed to convince the jury that the absence
of physical evidence entitled his client to acquittal. No body has been found. He
was convicted.

5 Cori Baker from Oklahoma was murdered by her sister’s boyfriend Marquis
Bulloch, in 2007. He changed his story several times whilst being investigated,
and the dogs, partly funded by the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, were brought into search a large area after a skull had been found. They
alerted in several places. No other physical evidence was discovered. He was
convicted

6 The case of Guadeloupe Montano from Kane County, USA, is still pending.
It is alleged that she was murdered by her husband Aurelio Montano in 1990. It
may be the first time that the dog’s alerts have been used as evidence in that State.
They indicate that the body lay in one position and was then moved to another. The
trial is due in December 2012. No body has been found.

7 The case of Amir Jennings, allegedly killed by her mother Zinah Jennings in
2011, involves a mother who reported her son missing. Dogs have searched the
house and the car, and the trial for lying to the police about what happened is
pending. No body has been found.

8 The trial of Albert Fine, the partner of Catherine Hoholski, from Lorain USA,
is also pending. In this case the body was found within 60 seconds of the dog
being deployed, and it was then used to identify other locations relevant to the
prosecution case.

9 The alleged abduction of Isabel Mercedes Celis has been called into
question by the findings of two dogs, one a cadaver dog, in the family home. The
findings were said to be “significant”, the house is being treated as a crime scene
and the matter is still under investigation. No body has been found.

10 The disappearance of 6 year old Etan Patz in New York 33 years ago, has
already shown the almost unbelievable feats of which cadaver dogs are capable.
In this case pads of absorbent material were left for a time on the concrete floor of
the basement and then presented to the dogs for testing. As a result the concrete
floor was then ripped up. The handler Englebert said. "We as human beings
never lose our scent. If [a body] had been there for a while, that scent would still be
there," she said, indicating that even if investigators do not find remains in the
basement, it is possible human remains may have once been there before being
moved.” The investigation has also used ground penetrating radar. The trial of
Pedro Hernandez, who has admitted kidnapping and murder, is pending.

11 The parents of Lisa Irwin, from Kansas City, also allege that she must have
been abducted in the middle of the night. The mother told Police she did not
search, “because she was afraid of what she might find”. Disturbed earth was
found behind the house, and the dog alerted in the parent’s bedroom. As a result
a full search warrant was granted, and the police say they want to talk to the
parents Jeremy Irwin and Deborah Bradley, one to one.

12 The cold case of 14 year old Melanie Melanson, from Massachusetts USA,
who disappeared 20 years ago, has been given fresh impetus through the findings
of a cadaver dog which alerted in an area targeted following a tip off to Police.

13 Another mother, Shakara Dickens, of Memphis USA, reported in 2010 that
she had given up her daughter Lauryn Dickens for adoption, but the various
stories turned out to be false. A dog identified cadaver odour in the house and in
the boot of the car, and despite defence arguments, she was found guilty of
Murder. No body has been found.

14 The infamous case of Caylee Anthony, whose mother Casey Anthony was
accused of murdering her in Orlando USA, in 2011, was also notable in that the
evidence of the cadaver dog handler was admitted, even though no body was
found. The dog alerted in the boot of the car, and it was alleged that the mother
had then dumped the body. The evidence was highly detailed, with full description
of the system of ‘final trained alert’ by the dog showing an exact position,
distinguished from a more general interest. In the event Anthony was not found
guilty of the murder, but was convicted of several less offences. There are moves
to have the case reopened at Federal level. No body has been found.

15 In the UK, the case of Kirsi Gifford-Hull, in Winchester in 2005, is of interest
since although the body was discovered by a man walking a dog, and the offender
Mike Gifford-Hull had made a public appeal at a press conference for his wife to
return, cadaver dogs had already alerted some weeks earlier in the house and in
his car during the initial search for a “missing person”. After the trial he told
officers that when he saw the dogs alerting in the car he had contemplated making
a full admission. He was convicted. After the trial Judge Guy Boney QC ”. .
.added that the police inquiry was so superior it could be matched with that of any
other police force in the world.”

Many organisations exist to provide the services of cadaver dogs. Many are staffed
by retired specialist Police officers. Their services are not cheap. It was widely
reported, not entirely tongue in cheek, that Eddie, the cadaver dog operated by Mr
Martin Grime, earned more than the Chief Constable. The Cadaver Dog Team of
Global Rescue Services, and Dog Detectives operate in this sphere. Independent
trainers include Search Dogs UK (www.searchdogsuk.co.uk ) All operate within
the UK
Almost every state of the US has its own team operating in this way, and the FBI
run training programmes specifically targeted at Cadaver and Blood detecting
dogs.
The whole area of research is subject to rigourous academic study, as so much in
the legal world hinges on the success or otherwise of the dogs, and the trust
placed by courts on their reported findings.

Academic Papers
16 Cadaver dogs– a study on detection of contaminated carpet squares.
Abstract
Cadaver dogs are known as valuable forensic tools in crime scene investigations. Scientific
research attempting to verify their value is largely lacking, specifically for scents associated with
the early postmortem interval. The aim of our investigation was the comparative evaluation of the
reliability, accuracy, and specificity of three cadaver dogs belonging to the Hamburg State Police
in the detection of scents during the early postmortem interval.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
Carpet squares were used as an odor transporting media after they had been contaminated with
the scent of two recently deceased bodies (PMI<3h). The contamination occurred for 2 min as
well as 10 min without any direct contact between the carpet and the corpse. Comparative
searches by the dogs were performed over a time period of 65 days (10 min contamination) and
35 days (2 min contamination).
RESULTS:
The results of this study indicate that the well-trained cadaver dog is an outstanding tool for crime
scene investigation displaying excellent sensitivity (75-100), specificity (91-100), and having a
positive predictive value (90-100), negative predictive value (90-100) as well as accuracy (92-
100).

17 Cadaver dog and handler team capabilities in the recovery of buried
human remains in the southeastern United States
Abstract
The detection of human remains that have been deliberately buried to escape detection is a
problem for law enforcement. Sometimes the cadaver dog and handler teams are successful,
while other times law enforcement and cadaver dog teams are frustrated in their search. Five field
trials tested the ability of four cadaver dog and handler teams to detect buried human remains.
Human and animal remains were buried in various forested areas during the summer months near
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The remains ranged in decomposition from fresh to skeletonized. Cadaver
dogs detected with varying success: buried human remains at different stages of decomposition,
buried human remains at different depths, and buried decomposed human and animal remains.
The results from these trials showed that some cadaver dogs were able to locate skeletonized
remains buried at a significant depth. Fresh and skeletonized remains were found equally by the
cadaver dogs along with some caveats. Dog handlers affected the reliability of the cadaver dog
results. Observations and videotape of the cadaver dogs during field trials showed that they were
reliable in finding buried human remains.

18 The use of cadaver dogs in locating scattered, scavenged human
remains: preliminary field test results.
Abstract
Specially trained air scent detection canines (Canis familiaris) are commonly used by law
enforcement to detect narcotics, explosives or contraband, and by fire investigators to detect the
presence of accelerants. Dogs are also used by police, military, and civilian groups to locate lost
or missing persons, as well as victims of natural or mass disasters. A further subspecialty is
"cadaver" searching, or the use of canines to locate buried or concealed human remains. Recent
forensic investigations in central Alberta demonstrated that the use of cadaver dogs could be
expanded to include locating partial, scattered human remains dispersed by repeated animal
scavenging. Eight dog-and-handler teams participated in a two-month training program using
human and animal remains in various stages of decay as scent sources. Ten blind field tests were
then conducted which simulated actual search conditions. Recovery rates ranged between 57%
and 100%, indicating that properly trained cadaver dogs can make significant contributions in the
location and recovery of scattered human remains.
19 The suggestion that Cadaver dogs are “incredibly unreliable” is thus refuted.

References and links
These are only some of the many available on the net. Searching on the name of
the deceased will usually give many pages of similar articles.
1 http://eddieandkeela.blogspot.com.es/2008/02/zapata-admits-killing-wifegets-
5-years.html
http://www.caninesearchsolutions.org/wisconsin_v._zapata.pdf
2 http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detroit/jury-reaches-verdict-in-dandrelane-
murder-tria#ixzz29I3h1A3T
3 http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Cadaver-dog-sniffed-death-Prouthome/
story-11860269-detail/story.html
4 http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/home-news/david-gilroy-guiltyof-
suzanne-pilley-murder.1331810187
5 http://www.tulsapeople.com/Tulsa-People/October-2010/Coldcase/
index.php?cparticle=4&siarticle=3
6 http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/15641401-418/cadaver-dogevidence-
allowed-in-body-less-murder-case.html
7 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082947/Cadaver-dogs-searchmissing-
toddler-police-execute-warrants-jailed-mothers-car-home.html
8 http://www.newsherald.
com/articles/2012/08/19/news/nh5846124.txt?viewmode=2
9 http://childabuseconsulting.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/those-darn-cadaverdogs.
html
10 http://www.christianpost.com/news/etan-patz-case-cadaver-dogs-able-topick-
up-scent-in-basement-73568/#vZyIRl6x8dEmovY7.99
11 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051903/Lisa-Irwin-missing-
Cadaver-police-dog-smells-scent-dead-body-parents-bedroom.html
12 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2181390/Breakthrough-cold-case-
Cadaver-dogs-zero-place-hunt-girl-vanished-23-years-ago.html
13 http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/mar/23/memphis-motherfound-
guilty-presumed-dea/
14 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2000636/Casey-Anthony-trialcontinues-
Cadaver-dog-handler-tells-court-overwhelmed-smell-death-trunk-
Anthonys-car.html
15 http://www.standard.co.uk/news/wealthy-businessman-strangled-wife-aftershe-
uncovered-three-affairs-7086770.html
http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/1011044.print/
Academic links and general references
http://www.caninesearchsolutions.org/wisconsin_v._zapata.pdf
http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/cadaver-dogs
16 "Cadaver dogs– a study on detection of contaminated carpet squares."
Oesterhelweg L, Kröber S, Rottmann K, Willhöft J, Braun C, Thies N,
Püschel K, Silkenath J, Gehl A.
Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg, Germany.
Forensic Sci Int. 2008 Jan 15;174(1):35-9
17 Cadaver dog and handler team capabilities in the recovery of buried
human remains in the southeastern United States.
Lasseter AE, Jacobi KP, Farley R, Hensel L.
Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-
0210, USA.
J Forensic Sci. 2003 May;48(3):617-21.
18 The use of cadaver dogs in locating scattered, scavenged human
remains: preliminary field test results.
Komar D.
Department of Anthropology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
J Forensic Sci. 1999 Mar;44(2):405-8.
“Incredibly Unreliable”
19 a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LJo9fGXQMI
Interview with Sandra Felgueiras,
recorded 3 Nov. 2009, broadcast 5 Nov. 2009
5:39 GM “I can tell you that we’ve also looked at evidence about
cadaver dogs and they’re incredibly unreliable”.
SF “Unreliable ?
GM: “Cadaver dogs, Yes”
19.b http://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/DAYS_851_to_1050.htm
Gerry’s blog Day 988 15/1/2010
“The use of dogs had proved to be problematic and unreliable in previous
cases” . . . “To suggest or use the dogs’ reactions as evidence is simply
wrong and abusive”
Kate McCann
19.c from “Madeleine” by Kate McCann, May 2011, Bantam Press,
p. 218/9
When he arrived, Ricardo explained this ‘evidence’ a little further. His tone was
sombre as he told us about the two springer spaniels that had been brought out to
Portugal by the British police to assist in the search. Keela, who could alert her
handler to the tiniest trace of blood, had done so in apartment 5A. Eddie, a victimrecovery
or ‘cadaver’ dog, trained to detect human remains, had indicated that
somebody had died there.
p.219
Did they really believe that a dog could smell the ‘odour of death’ three months
later from a body that had been removed so swiftly? They were adding two and two
and coming up with ten. [1]
p. 253
As we now know, the chemicals believed to create the ‘odour of death’,
putrescence and cadaverine, last no longer than thirty days. There were no
decaying body parts for the dog to find. It was simply wrong. [2]
p. 267
By this time Gerry was deep into his next task: researching the validity of responses
produced by blood and cadaver dogs. Along the way he spoke to several experts,
and in the coming weeks we would learn a lot about the subject. This is what one
US lawyer had to say about the objectivity and success rate of this procedure:
The most critical question relating to the use of the dog alerts as evidence is
how likely is the dog’s alert to be correct. In this regard, the only testing of these
handler and dog teams recorded an abysmal performance. Here ‘the basis’ for the
possible past presence of human remains is that there is a 20 or 40 per cent
chance that a dog’s ‘alert’ was correct. In other words, with respect to residual
odour, the dog-handler teams performed significantly worse than if the handlers
had simply flipped a coin to speculate as to the presence of residual odour at each
location.
State of Wisconsin v. Zapata, 2006 CF 1996 – defendant supplemental
memorandum [3]
Author’s observations
1 A Cadaver dog can indeed smell the “odour of death” years, and even
decades and centuries later. This statement is simply factually inaccurate. (v.s.)
2 The chemicals do last longer than thirty days. This statement is simply
factually inaccurate. (v.s.)
3 This was material submited by the defendant at first instance. It is not
precedent, or case law. This case its notable for the change of plea before the
second trial and the admission by the accused that the dog had been absiolutely
accurate in all its alerts, showing the various places the body had been stored over
a period of three decades. ( Zapata, v.s)

Thank you PeterMac, I have put all that into a properly referenced background paper, thank you so much