Woman's Dog Helped Police Solve Her Brutal Murder

A murder case in Texas proved once again how we don’t deserve dogs.

Back in April 2023, a 26-year-old girl from San Marcos, Texas was brutally murdered. Per legal docs, Mandy Rose Reynolds was shot and then burned “beyond recognition” in a field in nearby Robinson. Horrible. According to the McLennan County District Attorney’s Office, she was found by police on April 5. But law enforcement may have never been able to solve this case if it wasn’t for a white labradoodle named Titan.

The dog was found near the body “frantically” barking. According to the DA’s press release the good boy (not pictured above, that’s another labradoodle) “barked frantically at officers and refused to leave the area of the body, but also refused to allow police to capture it.” Unable to control the dog, officers moved their focus back to the grisly scene and removed the burned remains of the victim. The next morning, however, a passerby noticed the labradoodle was still sitting in the same spot in the field. When he called Robinson Animal Control on the pup, they were able to find out Titan was microchipped.

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The microchip was a miraculous discovery because it led investigators right to the owner — who, as it turns out, was Mandy. Thanks to the dog refusing to leave her side, cops were able to identify the murder victim right away, something which may have taken a lot longer without his presence. Assistant District Attorneys Ryan Calvert and Alyssa Killin said in a statement:

“The keys to this case were a heroic and loyal dog named Titan and extraordinary cooperation between law enforcement agencies in multiple jurisdictions and states. That combination has delivered justice for Mandy and safety from a violent and dangerous criminal.”

Wow! A real hero dog! See a picture of the actual Titan (below):

With this new info, investigators were able to find out their victim was from San Marcos and quickly locate her home. Upon arrival, they found it completely empty and her Honda Accord missing. From there, they followed a lead from a license plate database which led them to Wichita, Kansas. The Wichita Police Department were notified and soon after found Reynolds’ car — which was still being driven! They attempted to pull it over, but that was no easy feat…

The traffic stop escalated into a high speed chase, with the driver pushing it over 100 mph as he tried to get away. He eventually crashed into another car and jumped out, running on foot into a grocery store, where “he hid on a shelf behind canned goods”, according to the DA’s Office. Wild! Thankfully cops finally got him into custody. The driver? Derek Daigneault — Mandy’s cousin.

Back in Texas, investigators determined Mandy had been shot with a .380 after finding a shell casing burned into the plastic storage container her body had been burned in. A search of her car Daigneault had wrecked turned up a .380 caliber handgun on the driver’s seat floorboard.

But there was even more evidence. At Mandy’s local Walmart in San Marcos, surveillance footage showed Daigneault purchasing a large plastic storage container like the one she was burned in, as well as a shovel and a gas can. SUPER suspicious. But everything was pretty much confirmed when footage from the parking lot showed Daigneault leaving the store in the victim’s car — and her brave pup Titan even stuck his head out the window!

The Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory‘s confirmed Mandy was killed with Daigneault’s gun, and that was all the jury needed.

(c) McLennan County District Attorney’s Office

Last week, the 29-year-old suspect was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life in prison. His attorney Jason P. Darling said on Tuesday:

“Derek is obviously disappointed in the verdict and sentence. While we appreciate the jury’s work and effort in this case, Derek intends to appeal the verdict and has already filed his notice of appeal.”

Thankfully Mandy got justice in the end. What a wild case… that all started with her dog! We love how Titan looked out for her even in death. May she rest in peace.

[Image via McLennan County District Attorney’s Office]