The Disappearance Of Duke – Part 2

In Part One of this story we learned about Duke the Boston Terrier, who went missing in the McDowell area, possibly under suspicious circumstances, and dog mom Rebecca Nairn, who was determined to find him.

“At first, we were, like, devastated, and we searched the woods and it was like 20 degrees out – it was so cold. But we were searching all the property around our house, and searching the road, driving around calling him, and he was nowhere to be found. So then the next day, we went into town and printed flyers up at the library. And it was amazing, the community there in McDowell and Monterey, they were just so, so incredible. Corena from the Humane Society was really, really helpful, and giving us advice on where to look and who to call and what to do with a missing dog. And then I met a lady named G.G. Grim at the library, and she actually offered to take flyers and post them all around town, so she did that – again, it was like snowing and freezing cold, so that was so nice of her to do. And the sheriff, of course, he and his crew are really, really helpful. My mom called all the humane societies and vets, and everywhere she could think to call to let them know that he was missing. And my dad stayed back at the house, and just searched the property on foot for hours to see if there was any sign.

“So then we got back to the house, and G.G. and Corena recommended that we check with the stores in town to see if they had a video. They all had cameras, and they wanted to see if they had any recordings of the van, because my dad knew it was a dark van that had stopped in front of the house. So we called a few different stores – but then Fast Break, they said today you would be willing to check their cameras for us. So Wanda and Crystal at Fast Break were amazing, and they checked all their cameras. They wanted a time frame, so like between 6:00 and 8:00 at night. This was (in) hopes of like getting a glimpse of a van in case that was what had happened.

“So they actually found footage of the dark van pulling up, and then footage of the lady and a teenage girl get out with Duke on a leash. So, they were like, ‘Oh my goodness, we have a sighting of a dog, and it looks like your dog from the flyer, but we want you to come confirm it’. So we went down to Fast Break, and the sheriff and his captain went with us, and it was Duke. So they got a good picture of the van, and the people who had Duke, so at least we knew he was alive, he was with them – this is the van, this is the color. And also, from when they took him to when they got to the gas station, they had also stopped at the Dollar General to grab some dog supplies. They bought a leash, and I think some food – I’m not sure what else they got, but they never mentioned they hadDuke with them or anything.. And then at Fast Break, we got, at least, a visual of them, so then we could tell which direction they went out of the gas station. And the sheriff said that most people going in that direction at this time of year are probably going to Snowshoe. So it was a huge shot in the dark, we knew, but we decided that we’re going to go to Snowshoe on Saturday, the next morning, to search around to see if we could find a van that looks like the one in the video.

“And then that night, a nice man from Monterey named Jody called and said that his cousin had actually been at the Fast Break and spoken to the man who had Duke, and the man told him that he was going to Snowshoe. So again, I didn’t know if the man was telling the truth, but at least it was a little bit more of confirmation – ‘Okay, yeah, let’s go check Snowshoe out.”

Story By

Scott Smith

Scott Smith is the General Manager for Allegheny Mountain Radio and Station Coordinator and News Reporter for WVLS. Scott’s family has deep roots in Highland County. While he did not grow up here, he spent as much time as possible on the family farm, and eventually moved to Highland to continue the tradition, which he still pursues with his cousin. Unfortunately, farming doesn’t pay all the bills, so he has previously taken other jobs to support his farming hobby, including pressman/writer for The Recorder, and Ag Projects Coordinator for The Highland Center. He lives in Hightown with wife Michelle and son Ethan. In his spare time, he wishes he had more spare time, especially to ride his prized Harley-Davidson motorcycle. scott@amrmail.org

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