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SALT LAKE CITY — Much of the attention surrounding the search for Susan Powell is focusing in on the special team of cadaver dogs.
A team of at least eight dogs confirmed the site near Delta where law enforcement officers are digging contains human remains, and Friday police got yet another confirmation.
"There was a dog that was brought in this morning, a fresh dog that had had a day off yesterday; they brought that dog in and the dog immediately went to the location and indicated in the hole, so we know we still have something we need to look at," West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merritt said Friday afternoon.
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Investigators sifting dirt for clues at site of Susan Powell investigation
West Valley police are excavating an area in the desert near Delta where multiple cadaver dogs have indicated human remains are likely buried.Two teams of dogs are working on the case, one of which was trained by handler Wally Hendricks. He was in Juab County when his dog made the initial find.
"When you smell a decomposing animal, it smells very much the same as a decomposing human," Hendricks said. "However, the dogs' ability to scent and smell things is very different to a human's."
Jan Holley, with Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, says cadaver dogs can be specially trained to sniff out anything — decaying bodies, or just their bodily fluids, clothing or jewelry.
Holley says that cadaver dogs work hard to please their handlers and try to pick up on any scent. But like humans, the dogs have their limitations.
"Dogs are not perfect by any means, but they are a great tool," Holley said. "They can give us an indication and we can research that farther."
What can throw the dogs off, Holley says, is if the bodies' scents have spread onto those other effects. The weather, amount of soil and time passed can also affect their performance.
Meanwhile, Hendricks says his team has a least an 80 percent success rate, if not 100 percent.
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Written with contributions from Peter Samore and the ksl.com news team
