Twenty-one canine carcasses have washed ashore on Guemes Island, a small community of roughly 600 residents located about 80 miles north of Seattle, since March 26, 2026. The animals were skinned. Some had their front paws removed. Two had orange twine tied around their necks. Skagit County investigators have no explanation for where the carcasses came from, who is responsible, or even what species of canine they are. It is, as the island's fire chief put it, "like the start of a horror movie."
What Washed Up and When
The Skagit County Sheriff's Office issued a press release confirming the timeline. On March 26, six canine carcasses were found washed ashore at an area of Guemes Island called Kelly's Point. Five additional bodies were discovered on the shoreline in the days that followed. On March 31, another dead canine was found floating in the La Conner Channel nearby. Then on April 2, eight more carcasses were collected from the beaches of Guemes Island, bringing the confirmed total to 21, according to the Skagit County Sheriff's Office.
On Wednesday, April 1, the bodies were turned over to a forensic veterinarian for necropsies and DNA testing, the sheriff's office confirmed. Results have not yet been released publicly.
Guemes Island Fire Chief Olivia Cole, who is also a dog groomer on the island, told NBC News that the Skagit County Search team conducted additional sweeps by boat and on foot after the initial finds. "The Skagit County Search team came out by boat and on foot to search for more, and they were able to find eight more," Cole said. "We're at a total of 21 now."
The Physical Evidence Is Disturbing
The condition of the carcasses has deepened the mystery. Cole told NBC News that all of the animals that washed ashore had been skinned, with some also missing their front paws. Two of the canines found on shore had what Cole described as "orange twine" wrapped around their necks.
The bodies appeared to be roughly uniform in size, Cole said, with some measuring approximately the length of a women's size 9.5 shoe and others slightly larger, roughly comparable to a fox in size. She described "a little bit of black and white on their back paws."
KIRO 7 reported that investigators had not yet confirmed whether the bodies were skinned deliberately or were simply in an advanced state of decomposition, which can produce similar surface appearances. Cole acknowledged the uncertainty but maintained the skinning description based on what she personally observed.
Investigators have also not yet confirmed the species. Cole told NBC News: "We don't have final confirmation on them if they are coyotes, if they're domestic, or something else." The Skagit County Sheriff's Office confirmed in its press release that investigators are awaiting necropsy and DNA results before drawing conclusions on species.
The Community Reaction
Alexie Gregory, a 41-year-old Guemes Island resident of nine years, told NBC News she encountered the carcasses at Kelly's Point on Tuesday. "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."
Ellen Fitch, who found some of the carcasses separately, told local outlet KIRO: "It was like nothing I'd ever seen." Fitch said islanders were speculating freely but noted some of the speculation had become exaggerated. "Or they're just exaggerating," Fitch said. "[People are saying]: 'Oh, I heard they found wolves and foxes and coyotes,' [or] 'Oh, I heard there were witches involved.'"
Cole described the entire 600-person island as consumed by the mystery. "This is what we're talking about here," she told NBC News. "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."
The community rumor mill has pointed in several directions. Cole said the island's proximity to shipping lanes and neighboring islands with known animal breeders has fueled speculation. "We get big tankers that come through here, and we know there are breeders on other islands," Cole told NBC News, "so everybody is just having all kinds of thoughts going around, but we can't confirm anything until the necropsy comes back."
The Island's History Adds a Layer
Guemes Island carries a relevant historical footnote. The island was known informally as "Dog Island" in the 19th century, a name derived from the Salish woolly dog, a now-extinct domestic dog breed kept by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast. The Salish woolly dog was raised for its thick fleece, which was sheared and woven into blankets. The breed disappeared entirely following European settlement of the region.
Guemes Island is approximately eight miles long and sits a five-minute ferry ride from Anacortes on Fidalgo Island. Its small year-round population and island geography make unusual events immediately conspicuous to the entire community.
What Investigators Are Doing
The Skagit County Sheriff's Office Animal Control Unit is leading the investigation, with SCSO Animal Control Officer Diaz named by KOMO News as an active participant in the search and evidence collection. The forensic necropsy and DNA testing underway at an undisclosed veterinary forensics lab will be central to any conclusions.
Key questions investigators need to answer include: What species are the animals? Were they killed before entering the water or did they drown? How long were the bodies in the water before washing ashore? Does the orange twine found on two carcasses match any known commercial or agricultural product? Are the front paw removals deliberate or a product of decomposition and marine scavenging?
The sheriff's office has asked anyone with information to call the Skagit County Sheriff's Office or Skagit 911 to speak with a deputy or animal control officer.
What the Evidence Cannot Yet Confirm
Several theories circulating on and off the island cannot currently be confirmed or ruled out. The possibility of a dogfighting operation was explicitly addressed by Cole, who told NBC News: "I personally did not see any gunshot wounds or markings that would suggest something like a dogfighting ring." The skinning and paw removal could indicate fur poaching, animal processing operations, or ritual activity, but none of these explanations have any evidentiary support at this stage.
The possibility that the carcasses originated on one of the neighboring islands in the San Juan Islands archipelago, or were deposited from a passing vessel, remains live. Puget Sound's tidal patterns are complex, and a forensic hydrologist could theoretically model likely drift patterns once species, approximate time of death, and entry point are better understood.
Until the necropsy and DNA results are returned, the Skagit County Sheriff's Office has released no suspect information, no working theory, and no estimate of when those results will be available.
Twenty-one dead canines on an island of 600 people. Skinned. Paws removed. Orange twine around the necks of two. The Pacific Northwest has seen strange things wash ashore before. This one is waiting for science to catch up.