In the first weeks of 2025, dog owners along the Pantano Wash, a popular hiking corridor on Tucson’s east side, started losing their pets to something invisible. By the time the Arizona Game and Fish Department tallied the damage that spring, the count stood at three family dogs, 51 coyotes, four javelinas, and a raven, all killed by poison someone had deliberately hidden in food left along the wash. More than a year later, the case remains one of the more unsettling unsolved animal cruelty investigations in the Southwest, and a warning with relevance far beyond Arizona.
How it unfolded
The first bodies turned up over a single weekend in late January 2025, 18 wild animals discovered along the waterway between Houghton Road and Old Spanish Trail. Around the same time, officials began receiving reports of family dogs dying suddenly. One dog had to be euthanized after eating something on a walk along the wash. Another went missing and was found dead. A third owner reported their dog’s death directly to authorities.
Necropsies told investigators what they were dealing with: poison had been placed inside food, bait designed to attract animals, and wildlife officials suspected strychnine or another fast-acting toxin based on the stomach contents. The working theory was that someone was targeting coyotes, which are common in the area and a genuine concern for pet owners. But poison does not read labels. It killed dogs on leashed walks, scavenging ravens, and javelinas along with the coyotes, and by mid-February the coyote toll alone had reached 38, climbing past 50 in the weeks that followed.
Whatever the poisoner’s grievance with coyotes, the method was both indiscriminate and illegal. Using poison baits on wildlife violates Arizona law, and there are far safer ways to manage coyote risk: securing attractants like garbage and pet food, keeping dogs leashed, avoiding walks at dawn and dusk when coyotes are most active, and even outfitting small dogs with protective vests.
The investigation stalled
The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief program offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest, referencing case OGT #25-000176, and asked anyone with information to call its hotline at 800-352-0700, anonymously if preferred. Despite the reward and considerable local media attention, no arrest was announced. After the initial cluster, no further pet deaths were reported, though coyotes continued to die for weeks as animals found remaining bait.
“Bait poisonings are a nightmare scenario because fast-acting toxins like strychnine can cause seizures within minutes to a couple of hours, and there is no time to wait and see. If your dog eats anything off the ground and then drools heavily, stumbles, or starts trembling, you go to the nearest emergency vet immediately, and you call ahead so they can prep,” says Dr. Nina Kohl.
What this means for your walks, wherever you live
Tucson’s case was extreme, but intentional and accidental baiting happens everywhere: rodenticide blocks tossed in alleys, illegal predator control on rural land, even snail bait in suburban gardens. A few habits meaningfully lower the risk.
Keep your dog leashed in open or unfamiliar terrain, not just for wildlife encounters but because a leash is the only reliable way to control what goes in your dog’s mouth. Teach and maintain a solid “leave it” and “drop it,” which are cheap insurance against a hundred hazards beyond poison. Stay alert to context: multiple dead wild animals in one area is a red flag worth reporting to wildlife officials before it becomes a pet emergency.
And know the signs of fast-acting poisoning: sudden heavy salivation, muscle tremors, seizures, or collapse shortly after an outdoor outing. Any of these is an immediate emergency-room trip. Bring packaging or a sample of anything your dog ate if you can do so safely, and report suspected bait to authorities so the next dog on that trail gets a warning instead of a tragedy.
What’s new since this was written
As of mid-2026, the Pantano Wash case remains publicly unsolved, with the Operation Game Thief reward still the primary open lead-generation effort. The episode has had one durable effect locally: Tucson-area officials continue to urge hikers to leash dogs along the wash corridor and to report dead wildlife promptly, and the case is regularly cited in Arizona discussions about strengthening penalties for illegal wildlife poisoning.
The broader lesson has not changed. When communities feel forced to handle predator conflicts themselves, the collateral damage lands on everyone’s pets. Legitimate coyote management exists, and it starts with securing food sources, not scattering poison where the neighborhood walks its dogs.
