'Horror movie': 21 dead canines mysteriously wash ashore on Washington state island

An island in Washington state is the scene of what officials say looks “like the start of a horror movie” after 21 dead canines were found washed ashore in recent days — and authorities still don’t know where they came from. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release it's currently investigating the deaths of the canines, found on the shores and in the water off Guemes Island — about 80 miles north of Seattle — starting last Thursday. On Wednesday, the canines were turned over to a forensic veterinarian, where necropsies are currently being conducted along with DNA testing, the release said. Most of the carcasses were found on or near an area of the island called Kelly’s Point throughout the week, with even more discovered Thursday, Guemes Island Fire Chief Olivia Cole told NBC News on Friday. “The Skagit County Search team came out by boat and on foot to search for more, and they were able to find eight more,” said Cole, who is also a dog groomer on the island. “We’re at a total of 21 now.” Officials do not know where the canines came from or how they washed ashore. Guemes Island is about 8 miles long and is a 5-minute boat ride from Anacortes, Washington, on the mainland. The island was historically nicknamed "Dog Island" due to the now extinct Salish woolly dogs that once lived there. Cole said the community is filled with speculation. “This whole island is talking, and there are rumors, because we get big tankers that come through here, and we know there are breeders on other islands,” she said. “So everybody is just having all kinds of thoughts going around, but we can’t confirm anything until the necropsy comes back,” she said. All of the carcasses that washed ashore had been skinned, Cole said, with some missing their front paws. Two of the canines that were found ashore also had "orange twine" wrapped around their necks. “I personally did not see any gunshot wounds or markings that would suggest something like a dogfighting ring,” Cole said. “It’s a creepy mystery out here,” Cole said. “That’s what I keep saying, it’s like the start of a horror movie, honestly.” Alexie Gregory, 41, a resident of Guemes Island for nine years, saw the carcasses at Kelly's Point on Tuesday. She says she had never seen anything like it. "It was so eerie to see one and then, literally, five minutes of walking, we found another," Gregory said. "I think we found a total of 10 or 11 that day, and by the end of it, I was numb. I was just in shock." The carcasses all appeared to be roughly the same size, Cole said, with some measuring about the length of a woman’s size 9½ shoe and others slightly larger, comparable to a "fox size". Cole also noted they seemed to be from the same species, and they had "a little bit of black and white on their back paws.” “We don’t have final confirmation on them if they are coyotes, if they’re domestic, or something else,” she said. The roughly 600-resident island community is shaken. “This is what we’re talking about here," Cole said. "Anywhere you go, down to the local store, we’re all talking about these carcasses that washed up and how we want to catch the person responsible.”