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A suspect has been arrested and charged with murder in the killing of a beloved Colorado dog breeder – but the victims’ 10 missing Doberman puppies are still nowhere to be found.
Paul Peavey, a 57-year-old dog breeder, was shot found dead at his Idaho Springs home on August 24 after the alarm was raised when he wasn’t seen or heard from since August 19.
A homicide investigation was launched and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said that as many as 10 European Doberman puppies had been taken from Peavey’s property, which also doubled as a dog breeding kennel. Three adult dogs were left behind at the home.
On Friday, an affidavit was filed charging Sergio Ferrer, a 36-year-old man from Colorado, with first degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery.
The sheriff’s office said that Ferrer had been arrested on unrelated charges just hours after Peavey’s body was found, after he failed to appear in court on weapons charges in Nebraska.
He had quickly become a person of interest in Peavey’s murder when police received a tip-off that Ferrer’s family member were selling Doberman puppies on Facebook, according to The New York Times.
According to an affidavit, Ferrer then confessed to police that he shot and killed Peavey – but claimed he was acting in self-defense during a fight.
A search of Ferrer’s home then allegedly uncovered several items believed to have been taken from Peavey’s home, including jewelry, a cellphone and metal detectors.
But, investigators are yet to track down the missing puppies – some of them believed to be as young as four weeks old.
Authorities said that each of Peavey’s dogs were microchipped.
“The investigation into Mr. Peavey’s death continues, including the investigation into his Doberman puppies that are still unaccounted for,” the sheriff’s office said.
“Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office tip line at 303-670-7567, or submit a tip via email at crime_tips@clearcreeksheriff.us or anonymously via the CCSO website at https://bit.ly/CCSOCrimeTips.”
According to his website Elite European Dobermans, Peavey had over 40 years of experience in dog breeding and would walk dogs for local rescue shelters.
A photo posted to his Facebook page in 2019 shows him posing alongisde his own dog, Miley, who had just won best-of-breed at an event.
“His dogs were his life. He had been through some things in life, and the dogs were his therapy,” friend Brice Boynton told Denver7.
