UPDATE (11-30-15): Lemansky has been found and charged in North Carolina. Click here for more from the Cary (NC) Police Department.
Earlier reporting below.
South Daytona, FL – Authorities in at least 2 states continue to search for the woman who posted a photo on social media of a dog with its mouth wrapped in duct tape over the Thanksgiving weekend.
That photo posted by “Katie Brown” – identified on Facebook as a South Daytona resident – has been pulled from the website after it went viral and drew hundreds of thousands of shares and thousands of comments since it was posted on Friday morning.
WNDB News took a screenshot of the photo before the post was removed. It’s posted above this article.
Another Facebook post on the photo made by the City of South Daytona soon afterward reached 1.4 million people, with more than 19,000 comments and 600 messages left for the city’s Police Department.
SDPD Chief Ron Wright says Brown’s real name is Katharine Lemansky and that investigators aren’t sure if the photo of the dog – believed to be a chocolate Labrador – was taken in South Daytona or if it was somewhere else.
“Because Lemansky owns property in both Florida and Connecticut, it is difficult to determine where she is actually living at this time,” Wright added in an email sent to the media on Monday afternoon. “The local property in South Daytona appears vacant and is currently under code enforcement action.”
SDPD has referred the case to the Avon (CT) Police Department but are also actively working the case on their end, per Wright.
“We continue to keep in contact with Connecticut authorities,” Wright stated. “At this time, we do not know Lemansky’s location, but will continue to follow all leads.”
Avon Chief of Police Mark Rinaldo says his agency also received an “outpouring” of phone calls and are actively working the case to figure out where exactly the photo was taken.
SDPD has reached out to Lemansky’s family and friends and asked them to convince her to bring the dog to the nearest police station so that a check can be made on the dog’s well-being, according to Wright.
“Once Lemansky and the dog have been located, the case will be reviewed and applicable charges as allowed by law will be filed,” Wright wrote. “It is important for everyone to know that this case is a high priority and will be handled as would any other criminal investigation.”
Wright also noted that investigators think Lemansky may be somewhere in the Carolinas and that all attempts to reach her directly have failed so far, likely because she shut her phone off to avoid the public backlash.
The amount of emails and calls sent to the city overwhelmed its servers and forced South Daytona to bring in extra staff during the holiday weekend to handle the high volume of traffic.
Volusia County 911 dispatchers also received hundreds of messages and over 1,000 calls from concerned citizens, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
No charges have been filed at this time, but Wright did note that she would likely be facing misdemeanor animal cruelty if charges are filed. That would depend in part on the severity of the dog’s injuries.
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.