A pet sitter has been accused of stealing a US airman's dog and car before abandoning the animal for dead inside the garage of a luxury apartment complex.
Andrew Beckham, a member of the Colorado Air National Guard, faced every owner's worst nightmare after he trusted Andrew 'Andy' Jansen to watch his dog during his three-month deployment.
Beckham hired Jansen, 28, of Florida, to look after 11-year-old Maverick, and at first all seemed to go to plan. But a month into his deployment, he lost touch with Jansen after he experienced an 'extreme case of paranoia,' the dog owner said on Facebook.
On April 2, Beckham allegedly saw Jansen leaving his Aurora home in his blue Subaru with Maverick in tow but without the dog's bowls, food, or medication. The panicked veteran sounded the alarm with his emergency contacts, but they were unable to reach his home before Jansen disappeared.
Beckham returned home on April 22 and immediately began searching for his missing dog, which he had reported stolen along with his car. But just days later, he was delivered the devastating news that Maverick was found dead inside Beckham's missing vehicle on May 2.
The dog's face had blood on it, but authorities are unclear what happened to the pooch, Beckham told CBS Miami. 'He was trapped in the car for a long time,' Beckham, who had Maverick since he was a puppy, said. The car was found in a private parking garage for an apartment complex.
Jansen was nowhere to be found until he was arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office in Florida on Saturday. Police came in contact with him during a medical call, but he ran off before he could be captured. He was later spotted by an off-duty deputy at Jackson South Hospital, where he was taken into custody.
Jansen is awaiting extradition to Colorado, where he faces charges for felony motor vehicle theft and general theft. 'I'm relieved he is in custody now, and not possibly hurting other people,' Beckham told the New York Post. 'I wish his family would have come forward about Andy's location so I could have had a chance in saving Maverick.'
Before disappearing, Jansen had been communicating with Beckham daily and had sent him a photo of the two smiling in the car. 'That's a very scary image for me,' Beckham told CBS. 'That is the face of somebody lying to me.'
Beckham had hired Jansen through Trusted Housesitters, where the dog sitter's background check came back fine. Jansen had told Beckham he had wanted to see what it was like to live in Colorado. Trusted Housesitters told CBS Miami they were 'very saddened to learn about Maverick.' 'Our thoughts are with Andrew Beckham at this incredibly difficult time. Our priority is continuing to support Andrew.' The Daily Mail has reached out to Beckham and Trusted Housesitters for comment.
