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Ruby is still on lam.

In a mature case of a true crime podcast, a dog named Ruby (country song in production) was accused in the murder of four chickens outside of Norwich's home.

So far, no witnesses have appeared in this case. There is also a lack of video evidence. However, the home security system received the sound of an attack. In the recording, there are rooster barking and dog barking. Then I heard a female voice calling "Ruby".

There is not much to do, but this has not stopped Norwich police from launching an interstate investigation.

Eric Picconi, a Spanish teacher and cross-country instructor at Hanover High School, returned home in the afternoon of November 15 and found three dead hens and another in the chicken coop in his backyard. A hen that was only fatally wounded. (The fifth hen survived, but her clucking did not help the police much.)

Three days after the attack-Ruby's owner had enough time to apologize and provide compensation-Picconi still hasn't heard from anyone. So he wrote about the death of his chicken on the Norwich list service. After he first posted to the email list, he received about 15 messages from people who provided support. But not from the prying eyes of Ruby owners.

"I suspect that publicity makes them even more reluctant to come forward," Piconi told me on Thursday.

I don't know how this whodunit will end. I just breathed a sigh of relief. Shanggu was not talking about Target's arrival in western Lebanon.

"They may have changed the name of this dog by now," a Norwich resident quipped when I mentioned the dead chicken.

Fans of Upper Valley Facebook and Norwich Listserv have been posting enthusiastically. Some people shared their own dog-poultry encounters, but it ended badly. Others insist that the responsibility lies not with Ruby, but with the irresponsible owner. Then there are social media commentators who believe that the real villains are wild predators. (A fox, an owl, or even Ricky the raccoon?) In that situation, Ruby was falling down after the terrible scene just happened.

I have watched enough Hannibal Lecter movies and know that terrible cases can only be solved with the help of experts.

With this in mind, I called Paula Bergeron, the owner of Good Dogma, a canine rehabilitation and training center in Grafton. She works with dogs with a history of biting and other anti-social behaviors.

Bergeron warned, don't think that Ruby is a cold-blooded killer. "It doesn't need to be a vicious dog," she said. "Some dogs are perfectly fine around the chicken, but if the chicken is frightened and starts flapping its wings. This is a big trigger for many dogs."

Bergeron added that "many of our beloved dogs" are capable of speeding.

In addition to posting on Listserv in the town, Picconi also contacted Norwich Police. Since the town does not have an animal control officer, it makes sense for the police to intervene. I just hope their reaction is not so exaggerated.

When a review of Norwich dog license records failed to find any possible suspects, the police expanded their trawl nets.

Picconi's house on Turnpike Road is next to the recreation area of ​​Huntley Meadow Town. This is a popular place where people take their dogs to leash. Since dog owners in the Upper Valley area frequent Huntley Meadow, I guess the police believe Rudy may be an intruder.

Norwich police demanded that the Hartford, Hanover and Lebanese police surrender the names and addresses of all dog owners who received rubies or similar names.

CSI: Norwich went all out afterwards. A Lebanese woman told "Valley News" reporter John Lipman that a Norwich police officer visited her home on Sunday and wanted to know when she was last in Norwich.

This is the old trick of the police. An armed man suddenly appeared in a house, hoping to catch residents by surprise, so that they would spill the coarse food. It would be even better if the residents opened the door so that the police could peer into the house. They may catch a glimpse of evidence of guilt, and then they can persuade the judge to grant a search warrant. In this case, is it a hiccuping dog or a KFC bucket next to the dog bowl?

This time, the "knocking at the door" in police jargon did not happen. The Lebanese woman—and her standard poodle Ruby—has an airtight alibi.

Why did the police invest so much time and energy in this case?

Especially when Norwich’s animal control regulations treat violations involving released dogs as a civil issue. In addition to paying a fine of $50 to $100 to the town, owners of wild dogs may be required to pay "fair compensation" to owners of domestic or farm animals that have been attacked.

On Friday afternoon, I talked to the interim police chief Simon Keeling (Simon Keeling), and he assured me that his three police departments would not give up tracking down the owners of the criminals.

"I don't think it's a trivial matter," he said. "Someone's property is destroyed."

Keeling said that the owner of the dog needs to confess and compensate Picconi and his family.

But in a situation that can only be regarded as breaking news in the town, the person in charge also told me that he did not rule out turning the case into a criminal case.

Since the owner of Ruby seems to be picking up her dog from Picconi's house, she (the owner, not Ruby) may be arrested for breaking in.

"I hope we don't have to take the criminal route, but this may be the way we are headed," Keeling said.

It seems a bit extreme.

Once again, the weeks-long drama produced by the deaths of four chickens reminds people that even with a goal, Upper Valley is still a big and small town.

You can contact Jim Kenyon at jkenyon@vnews.com.

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