Cape Coral police use AI in attempt to identify dead dog found in crate near road

CAPE CORAL, Fla. —

Cape Coral police are turning to artificial intelligence as they investigate who left a dead dog inside a crate on Durden Parkway on Friday.

"Oh, that was disgusting. This is the animal cruelty in its worst form," Kenneth Summers, who lives down the road, said. "It's just pathetic."

Neighbors like Summers expressed shock and disgust upon learning about the discovery a few blocks down from Ramsey Boulevard. Authorities have not yet determined whether the dog was left dead or alive.

Liz McCauley, director of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter, said there is no excuse for such an act.

"We have a low-cost clinic here. We are an animal shelter. People come to us every day for help for their animals," McCauley said. "To think what that poor dog went through, why it was in a crate, why someone would leave it there. Why would someone let it suffer when there's no reason for that."

Detectives are still working to determine how the dog died. To aid the investigation, police used ChatGPT to generate an image of what the dog might have looked like alive.

"Seeing the dog dead in the picture is probably too much for a lot of people to take in and understand," Officer Mercedes Simonds of the Cape Coral Police Department said. "Our detective wanted to make sure that the dog was still out there, because obviously, the photo of the dog can help us identify the situation a little bit better, give us a couple more leads."

Summers commended the police for their efforts.

"Oh, that's pretty good detective work," Summers said. "Something you would think they do on a homicide."

Police are urging anyone with information about who may have left the French bulldog on Durden Parkway to contact Cape Coral authorities.

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