An Idaho man's attempt to cover up the murder of his girlfriend was thwarted by an unlikely source whose persistent actions helped investigators piece together the events leading to the 2023 killing.
Mandy Rose Reynolds, 26, was found dead in April 2023, her body burning beyond recognition in a field in Robinson, Texas, after a brush fire was reported, according to PEOPLE.
The dog, Titan, "barked frantically at officers and refused to leave the area of the body, but also refused to allow police to capture it," according to the McLennan County District Attorney's Office.
This unusual behavior prompted investigators to track down the dog's owner.
The following day, PEOPLE revealed, animal control traced the dog to Reynolds' home, where they learned the dog's name and owner.
With this new lead, police visited Reynolds' residence, finding it empty, with all of her belongings missing. Additionally, her car was gone, which led investigators to track the vehicle's location.
They found it in Wichita, Kansas, PEOPLE disclosed, and on April 8, 2023, Wichita police spotted the car and encountered Derek Daigneault, Reynolds' cousin. Daigneault fled the scene on foot but was quickly apprehended after hiding on a grocery store shelf.
Inside the vehicle, police found a handgun that matched the shell casing discovered at the scene where Reynolds' body had been burned. Walmart security footage later confirmed that Daigneault had purchased items—including a plastic storage container identical to the one used to dispose of Reynolds' body—just a day before the discovery of her remains.
The footage also showed Titan with his head sticking out of Reynolds' car window, further linking the dog to the crime.
Daigneault, 29, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Reynolds on November 7, 2023. The investigation revealed that Reynolds, who had moved from Idaho to San Marcos, Texas, had been in contact with Daigneault under false pretenses before traveling to Kansas to bring him back to Texas. Her mother, Karleen Hardy, mentioned in a GoFundMe set up after the murder that Reynolds had been considering starting college before her life was tragically cut short.
The motive for the murder remains unclear, as no further details were revealed about the circumstances leading to Reynolds' death.
