January 7, 2025

When a Washington Heights (22nd District) family was alerted that their 7-year-old service dog, Marley, was missing from their yard on August 9, 2024 they quickly alerted the Chicago Police to file a report. The family also worked on gathering private surveillance video to push out on neighborhood social media pages. Many concerned neighbors shared Marley’s story until it came across Officer Kristen Fahey’s social media account.

Officer Fahey was working in the 22nd District Strategic Decision Support Center (SDSC) room the day after Marley was taken. Utilizing camera footage, Officer Fahey, Officer Brian Gaffney, and Sergeant Vladan Milenkovic began working to locate Marley.

These officers were able to locate a vehicle in front of Marley’s residence at the time she was taken from the yard, which matched the vehicle in the private surveillance video provided by her owner. A man was seen placing the dog in the vehicle before fleeing the area. The SDSC officers were able to track the vehicle’s movement to a nearby neighborhood.

The SDSC officers related the vehicle’s information and location to 22nd District officers working patrol that day, including Officer Javier Roman. Officers approached the residence and observed Marley inside through the window.

Marley was voluntarily relinquished to the officers by the man and returned home that day, less than 24 hours after she had been taken.

The offender was then arrested and charged three weeks later with the help of Detective Kathleen Dorich of the Area 2 Detective Division. The offender faces one felony count of Theft/Unauthorized control for his role in taking Marley.

The initiative from 22nd District officers and the work of the Area 2 Detective Division was instrumental in returning Marley to her family.