Modern Mysteries

Mystery solved: 25 dead canines wash ashore in Washington State

By T.K. Randall
April 12, 2026 ·  8 comments

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) According to reports, the strangeness began just over a week ago with the grizzly discovery of what appeared to be around 25 dead canines washed up along the shores of Guemes Island.

The find sparked a mystery that gripped the islanders for days, prompting speculation that some sort of serial killer had been kidnapping and murdering people's dogs.

It was even suggested that the animals had been killed as part of some sort of ritualistic practice.

So great was the concern that local authorities even had to move to reassure locals that they didn't need to worry about their pets being kidnapped.But this is one mystery that actually does have an explanation because, according to the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, these canines were not actually dogs at all, but foxes.

The story goes that they had come from a farm outside of Washington and had been "lawfully purchased and transported" into the state for use as crab bait.

The carcasses had ended up in the water when the boat that had been carrying them suffered some sort of technical malfunction, necessitating dumping them overboard to keep the weight down.

They then washed up on the island, thus sparking the entire mystery.

Source: My North West | Comments (8)

Tags: Dogs