BAYTOWN, Texas – A Baytown woman said she has barely slept since her dog went missing early Tuesday morning.
Nicole Latour has received several calls from people claiming to have her dog, but they refuse to FaceTime her or meet in person, while demanding money.
Latour told KPRC 2’s Joy Addison that the situation has taken a disturbing turn.
The individuals texting Latour have threatened to send her videos of her dog, whom she calls her “baby,” dying a painful death if she does not comply with their demands.
Latour explained that a friend let her 9-year-old long-haired Chihuahua, Rari, outside to do her business Tuesday morning. The friend said bad weather scared him, causing him to run away.
Latour hired a search team and even used a heated drone equipped with an infrared camera, but there was no sign of Rari.
“He’s like my kid,” Latour said, describing Rari. “He’s all I have.”
After hanging more than 120 posters in the Baytown area near the intersection of Crosby Cedar Bayou and Massey Tompkins Road, Latour began receiving calls from a number appearing to be the Baytown Animal Shelter, along with WhatsApp messages from someone claiming to have her dog.
However, this person refused to FaceTime, take videos holding certain hand signals, or meet Latour in person to return Rari and receive the reward money.
“I asked them to hold up a ‘peace sign’ in the video, to hold up two fingers and take a picture. They wouldn’t even do that,” Latour said.
The individual even threatened to send Latour videos of Rari suffering and dying.
Latour almost sent the money requested but ultimately decided she does not believe this person actually has her dog and suspects they only want money.
“I did offer to meet them in person in a public place, and my friend, who has been on the force for 25 years and just retired, was going to have a cop escort me just to make sure they wouldn’t show up. They would not show up. They wanted $100 right now,” she explained.
This uncertainty makes the heartbreak of missing Rari cut even deeper.
“If somebody has your dog, they’re going to call,” Latour said.
An AI expert reviewed the image of Rari that was sent to Nicole.
“The real picture has a little more detail refinement to it. The other one is really close,” Tim Howard, an AI expert at Fortify Experts, noted.
“When ChatGPT checked it out, it told me it couldn’t find any signs of AI. But when I asked if this image was photoshopped, it told me there are signs; there are inconsistencies with the lighting,” Rami Abdelmajid, owner of Sunbird Visuals, assessed.
Latour’s only wish is to have her dog back.
Rari is microchipped, and a reward is waiting for anyone who can bring him home.
