The cases were often heartbreaking: Families coming home to find their dogs had vanished from inside houses, behind locked fences and outdoor kennels in rural communities east of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
But with the recent arrest of a woman accused of stealing two pit bulls - then throwing them from her moving car as the dogs' owner gave chase - officials think they have confirmed longstanding suspicions that the animals were victims of an overzealous animal rescuer turned serial dog-napper.
"It really cracked the case," Edgewood animal control officer Mike Ring said of the Nov. 16 arrest of 59-year-old Debbie Swenerton.
Authorities believe she stole dogs and then took them to shelters and said they were strays in need of adoption.
