IDAHO SPRINGS, Colo. — Five days after a longtime Idaho Springs resident and Doberman dog breeder was found dead, authorities hope to find his killer by finding his 10 missing puppies.
Paul Peavey, 57, was reported missing on Aug. 21. His body was found three days later by a group of concerned neighbors and friends in the 1000 block of Two Brothers Road near Idaho Springs.
In an update Monday, the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office said many puppies — possibly as many as 10 — are unaccounted for. The agency believes finding Peavey's puppies may also help solve his homicide.
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Bryce Peavler and his wife were supposed to buy and pick up one of the puppies on Sunday.
“I think justice for Paul is the most important thing here,” said Peavler.
The Peavlers met Peavey at his home in Idaho Springs on Aug. 4. The couple picked out their puppy and planned to take him home a few weeks later.
“We picked out a little boy,” said Peavler. “We had named ours Cigar after a famous racehorse.”
The couple lost their 12-year-old Doberman, Mac, about a month ago and finally felt ready to get a new dog.
“So I Google searched and Paul’s website came up. I texted him and he immediately texted back. About five minutes later, we were on the phone and had a 30-minute phone conversation,” said Peavler.
Peavler said there were two litters of Doberman puppies when they met Peavey at his home.
“He had his adult dogs there and roughly 20 puppies at the time,” said Peavler.
Peavler paid a $500 deposit that day and was going to pay a pretty penny for the European Doberman when he picked him up.
“The pickup purchase price was $4,000. It’s definitely not cheap but you get what you pay for,” said Peavler.
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The day before the pick-up day, Peavler sent Peavey a text.
“I said, 'Hey, Paul. we’ll see you at the KOA tomorrow. Just confirming.' And [I] never heard back,” said Peavler.
Peaveler sent a second text that night and decided to call Sunday morning when he did not hear back.
“I called and left a voicemail and went to Google and just searched his name and happened to find the news right after that,” said Peavler. “It was a real shock and awe moment, and my wife started tearing up quite a bit. We were just dumbfounded.”
Peavler reported his interactions with Peavey to the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office in hopes of helping with the investigation. The two hope to find Cigar, but even more than that, they're hoping justice is served for Peavey.
“The more people are aware of this situation, the more chance of finding justice and a resolution, right?” said Peavler. “It’s not necessarily about the dogs. To me, there’s a person dead. It’s heartbreaking.”
The sheriff's office is asking for the public's help in locating the missing puppies, which may have been sold through social media sites or by other means. The agency believes the sales may have occurred as early as Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The sheriff's office said Peavey's puppies are microchipped. Anyone who purchased a Doberman puppy in the central Colorado area within the last week is asked to check the puppy for a microchip and contact the sheriff's office either by phone at 303-679-2393 or by email at admin@clearcreeksheriff.us.
In addition, anyone who purchased a puppy through Peavey's business, Elite European Dobermans, since June is asked to contact the sheriff's office. This includes people who received a puppy and those who did not receive a puppy.
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