RACINE -- 1½-year-old Raven has a lot on her plate. She and her owner are part of two active unsolved crimes.
A Racine County investigator put his own time, money, and effort into training a Dutch Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix to become a Cadaver K9. His goal is to help bring closure to families in missing person cases.
Andrew Willis purchased her at 3-months-old.
We met them while in training at a Racine park. In 39 seconds, the K9 found the scent of human remains. Hidden in the garbage can were donated human remains.
To Raven, this is all a game to get her ball. These efforts are meant to uncover answers for grieving loved ones.
We asked what cases she's worked on so far, "She's done work on two. Two cases, and in one of them, she hasn't found anything yet, but we're still working it," said Willis, who could not elaborate because the cases are still open.
Raven is certified to work on missing persons investigations nationwide. Willis adds, "The more I can learn and see how she responds to these types of situations, this can make us a better team together."
He hopes to further her training to assist in water recovery efforts and to learn how to find buried human remains. All of this costs time and money. A GoFundMe campaign is helping offset the cost of buying cadaver specimens. Willis says each time, "The shipping of it alone is 300 dollars. We wouldn't be able to be where we are today without the help of the community so far."
Every dollar donated will help this man's best friend flourish.
Willis served a tour of duty in the Iraq War and is still an active member of the Army Reserves.
Click here to learn more about how to donate to Raven's training efforts.
