Video May Lead To Suspect In San Francisco 'Cat Lady' Attack
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- Surveillance video has provided new clues for authorities in the search for a man suspected of attacking a San Francisco woman known as the "Cat Lady" and throwing her two cats into San Francisco Bay last month.
"We're making progress. We have been getting calls from the public," Captain Vicky Guldbech of San Francisco Animal Care & Control told KPIX 5. "My officers are canvassing the area and we were able to obtain some video surveillance. They have been looking at hours and hours and hours of surveillance down there at the foot of Market Street."
The video shows the man suspected in the November 25th attack leaving a hotel on the Embarcadero. Authorities said he has not left the area.
"An hour and a half ago we received a call, somebody who saw the news, said they saw the person down at the Embarcadero," Guldbech said Monday.
Animal Care & Control officers responded to the scene, but the suspect was not there when they arrived.
The victim had two cats in a carrier near Pier 14 and the Ferry Building when she was attacked around 4:15 p.m. on November 25th. According to authorities, the attacker threw the cats into the water.
One of her cats was found dead by San Francisco firefighters on a boat during an attempted rescue of the pets, the second cat was not recovered.
The San Francisco Police Department is also looking for the suspect, but Animal Care and Control is the lead agency since it is an animal cruelty case.
Video May Lead To Suspect In San Francisco Cat Killings
"We've canvassed the Embarcadero area, also went into the Tenderloin, the Glide Memorial and Saint Anthony's kitchen to see if he was actually up there. So far nothing's turned up so we are still out looking for him," said Captain Le-Ellis Brown of Animal Care & Control.
Armed with the images, Animal Care & Control officers said they are confident that they are closing in on the suspect that has been dubbed the "San Francisco Cat Killer."
According to authorities, it is not clear if the woman and the suspect knew each other.
The victim was very distraught, according to Brown, and authorities have not been able to track down her whereabouts either.
They hope she hasn't slumped into a deep depression after her loss, which is often the case in a situation where someone has lost a loved pet.
The suspect faces two counts of animal cruelty in the case.
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