Cadaver dogs find scent in CA kidnap suspects yard

[September 18, 2009]  ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) -- Authorities investigating two missing girl cases said Thursday that cadaver dogs picked up a scent that could indicate buried remains in the backyard of a Northern California couple already charged in a kidnapping.

Alameda County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Thursday two dogs alerted at a site in Phillip and Nancy Garrido's backyard.

The couple is charged with the 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard. Their Antioch home has become a focal point of investigators reviewing outstanding kidnapping cases in the San Francisco Bay area.

Nelson would not say where in the yard the dogs picked up a scent. He also cautioned about false positives, and said the area is known to have Native American or animal remains.

Investigators plan to scan the site Friday with high-tech equipment.

[Associated Press]

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