Man Arrested In Death Of Dog Breeder Allegedly Had Sold One Of His Puppies

A 36-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of killing a Colorado dog breeder who was reported missing last month and then found dead on land near his home, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday.

Sergio Ferrer is suspected of first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery in the death of 57-year-old Paul Peavey, who ran a business, Elite European Dobermans, on a 110-acre Rocky Mountain property. The business’s website touts Peavey’s decades-long love of dogs and the quality of his litters.

Peavey’s body was found on Aug. 24 by an organized search party, according to the sheriff’s news release. The Clear Creek County Coroner’s Office said he had a gunshot wound and determined his death to be a homicide.

A spokesperson for Colorado state courts told HuffPost in an email that the district attorney has until Sept. 9 to file formal charges against Ferrer. He remains in jail, and HuffPost could not immediately identify an attorney representing him.

Peavey was reported missing from his property on Aug. 21, according to an arrest warrant obtained by HuffPost. Deputies who went his home found his dogs had been left without food or water. The animals were taken to a shelter.

Two days later, a group of people conducting a search for Peavey found his body down a hill about 30 yards from his trailer, according to the warrant. The body had been covered in branches and rocks.

The man who found the body told deputies that he had called Peavey’s cellphone after his disappearance, and it was answered by someone who seemed to be using a fake accent, the warrant said. The man said he believed it was Ferrer on the phone, and he told deputies that Ferrer’s daughter had been selling Doberman pinscher puppies on