A Jefferson County, Alabama, woman, Paulina Mejía, has found herself in the middle of a disturbing mystery after her dog repeatedly dragged human bones into the yard of her Center Point home.
The two-year-old German Shepherd mix, named Chicarin, has done this four times over the past year, with the most recent discovery on August 9, 2025, prompting a renewed search of the nearby woods by deputies.
It began with a skull
The bizarre sequence began in August 2024, when the family’s dogs were spotted playing with a human skull on the roadway near Mejía’s property.
An autopsy revealed the skull had a gunshot wound, and investigators developed a DNA profile that did not match any national database entries. In December of that year, Chicarin returned with a human tibia, which forensic testing confirmed came from the same victim as the skull.
The grisly discoveries continued in April 2025, when the dog brought home a femur, and a search by authorities also recovered a mandible, again matched to the same individual.
On August 9, 2025, Chicarin brought home another long bone, which led investigators to search nearby woods where additional remains were recovered. Testing is underway to determine whether these newest bones also belong to the same victim.
The investigation continues.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that all bones recovered so far in 2024 were from a single victim. In March 2025, the Jefferson County Coroner and Medical Examiner’s Office reported that the remains were those of a Black male, but his identity has yet to be determined.
To locate the source of the bones, investigators have placed a tracking device on Chicarin. This measure proved valuable during the most recent incident, guiding law enforcement to a likely location where the remains are scattered.
Mejía has described the ordeal as both unsettling and strange. She has been cooperating fully with authorities and even welcomed the idea of tracking her dog. “I’m actually very surprised and proud of them because they have helped for over a year to help discover this body,” she told reporters of her pet, according to Birmingham’s WBRC.
While it is not unheard of for pets to uncover human remains, it is exceptionally uncommon for a single dog to find evidence from what appears to be the same homicide over a full year.
Investigators now believe the bones are all linked to one person whose body was left in the wooded area near Mejía’s home, and their focus is on completing forensic testing, piecing together the victim’s remains, and ultimately putting a name to the man whose identity has remained a mystery for more than twelve months.
