Authorities in Cedar Rapids say thousands of dollars in reward money has been raised for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for killing 50 ducks. But, no one has offered up a reward for the unsolved shooting death of a local man.
Combining the contributions from 84 individuals, PETA and the Humane Society – over $9,000 has been donated toward the arrests of the people who killed the ducks. The animals were found stoned to death in a Cedar Rapids park on June 25th. Police Sergeant Cristy Hamblin says it was obviously a horrendous act of violence, but at the same time, it’s hard to believe people put a "higher price tag" on 50 ducks over one human life.
"It kind of saddens me that we’ve raised over nine thousand dollars for the ducks, but yet we have a young man that was murdered and no one has come forward to give a reward for someone who has taken a human life," Hamblin said.
Cedar Rapids Crimestoppers has offered a reward for information leading to an arrest in the June 15 shooting death of 35-year-old Aubrey Young, but it’s not as significant as the duck case. Still, Hamblin is hoping the individuals who killed the birds are caught.
"This was vicious and they didn’t do it just once," Hamblin said. "I mean, they had to have caught the duck, held it down, and then picked up a large rock and hit it in the head. And it wasn’t a light hit…it was torture for these birds." Anyone with information about either of the cases is asked to call 1-800-CR-CRIME.