21 September 2018 - Croydon Cat Killer Mystery Solved by Police After Three Years
'Croydon cat killer' hunt ends after three-year investigation
Vikram Dodd (The Guardian, 20/09/2018)
For a nation of animal lovers, it was one of the most gripping whodunnits of the modern era. Reports in November 2015 of cats found mutilated around the Croydon area of south London, with their heads and tails removed, sparked media headlines that a “Croydon cat killer” was on the loose and fears the fiend might strike again.
But almost three years on, after postmortems on deceased cats and two rabbits, forensic examinations, DNA tests and the studying of CCTV, Scotland Yard announced that humans were in the clear – and that the most likely culprits were foxes or other scavenging animals.
The initial publicity had encouraged more people to report cases, and the number of mutilated cats soon grew to more than 400 across London and the home counties. Animal welfare experts and a small team of police officers were looking for patterns as the body count mounted.
'Croydon cat killer' mystery solved by police
(BBC News, 20/09/2018)
The so-called Croydon cat killer does not exist, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
The force launched an investigation in 2015 into reports of mutilated cats in Croydon and the surrounding area.
Twenty-five post-mortem examinations were carried out but found no evidence of "human involvement".
Croydon cat killer unmasked: Met Police reveal culprits after three year probe and 500 deaths... are foxes
Justin Davenport (Evening Standard, 20/09/2018)
Scotland Yard is closing a long-running investigation into the so-called Croydon cat killer, saying the most likely culprits are foxes.
The Metropolitan Police announced the findings today after reports that a serial cat killer was behind the slaughter and mutilation of up to 500 pets across the UK. For nearly three years, police and animal activists have been hunting for a culprit, also dubbed the M25 cat killer, who was suspected of bludgeoning animals to death before dissecting their corpses.
At one point a team of 15 Scotland Yard officers was deployed on the trail of the suspect, who was even likened to Jack the Ripper.
Croydon Cat Killer: London Police Solve a Mystery
Ceylan Yeginsu (The New York Times, 20/09/2018)
For years, people in and around London suspected that a deranged sadist was behind hundreds of cat mutilations, the grisly evidence strewn around their streets and yards.
But after a three-year investigation, the police revealed on Thursday that the likely culprits behind these inhuman acts were, in fact, inhuman: foxes.
Focused on Croydon, a community south of central London where the disturbing finds were most common, the investigation included post-mortem examinations of cat carcasses found in the area, and involved animal welfare groups and veterinarians.