A 24-year-old man who has now been linked to an unusual string of crimes linked the Dallas Zoo to the missing animals, telling police that after swiping two monkeys from their enclosure, he wanted to use the city’s light rail system to make them But took The rampage, court records show.
The documents said Davian Irwin also said he loved animals and would commit more burglaries if he was released from prison.
Irwin, who was jailed Tuesday on $25,000 bond, was arrested last week after asking questions about animals at the Dallas Aquarium. He is facing six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of theft. An attorney listed for Irwin in court records did not respond to a request for comment.
Irwin told police that on the night of January 29, he waited until after dark, jumped a fence to get into the zoo grounds, cut through the metal mesh of an enclosure and killed two emperor tamarin monkeys with an arrest warrant affidavit. Took it accordingly. He then boarded the city’s light rail before walking to an empty house where he said he keeps his animals.
Acting on a tip-off from the public, police found the monkeys, named Bella and Finn, on 31 January, the day they were found missing, in a vacant house in Lancaster, about 15 miles (24 kilometres) south of the zoo. Dallas Suburbs. Several cats and pigeons were also in the house, in addition to dead feeder fish and fish food that went missing from an employee-only area of the zoo, the affidavits said, but the theft was not reported at the time.
Police said Irwin has been charged and linked to two strange incidents at the zoo over a period of several weeks. In taking the monkeys, Irwin faces one count of theft and six counts of animal cruelty – three for each monkey. He also faces a charge of theft in connection with the escape of a clouded leopard named Nova, who was found missing on 13 January. A cut was found in his enclosure, and the zoo was closed as a search ensued. She was found later that day near her residence.
An affidavit states that Irwin told investigators that he wanted to take Nova away, but that he could only pet her before they reached the top of her enclosure.
Police said they have linked Irwin to cutting up the enclosure of langur monkeys, which was discovered after Nova went missing, but he has not been charged. None of the langur monkeys survived.
An affidavit said that in the days leading up to the moving of the king tamarin monkeys, a man had been raising suspicions at the zoo, asking questions about not only moving and caring for such monkeys, but also clouded leopards. Was also asking questions about He was also seen entering the staff building near the monkey enclosure.
After the monkeys were reported missing on 30 January, police released a photo and video from the zoo of a man they said wanted to speak to about the missing monkeys. The man in the photographs – later identified by police as Irwin – provided information that led police to the vacant home where the monkeys were found on 31 January. The man from the images as a man who frequented an empty house owned by the church.
Police arrested Irwin on Thursday a few blocks from The Dallas World Aquarium after he was there asking questions about the animals at the aquarium and a worker recognized him from news coverage.
Police have said they are still investigating, but have not linked Irwin to the suspicious death of an endangered vulture at the zoo in January.
Meanwhile, police in Louisiana announced Tuesday the arrest of a 61-year-old man in connection with 12 squirrel monkeys missing Jan. 29 from their enclosure in Broussard, Louisiana, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Baton Rouge. Police said that the missing monkeys are yet to be traced.