Catherine DeFazio: California woman thought she was helping German Shepherd before being led to body of its dead owner

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: Catherine DeFazio, a resident of Natomas initially thought she was helping a stray German Shepherd, but to her shock, the dog guided her to a distressing sight - a lifeless body.

The California woman had noticed online alerts about a German shepherd that had been seen wandering without a leash in her Sacramento locality.

One day, she saw the dog on her front porch, just before it darted off into the street.

"I'm like, 'No, don't go to the street. Don't," DeFazio stated. "And he went right there in the bushes about three feet from the walkway," he added. 

What the dog subsequently led the woman to was profoundly distressing.

Without hesitation, DeFazio alerted the police, and the coroner's office established that the man had been lifeless for a week.

German Shepherd leads Catherine DeFazio to man's body

Catherine DeFazio recounted to KCRA how the dog had let out a yelp and looked at her in a certain way.

She said that when she looked over, she couldn't believe that there could be a dead body there.

A backpack, some tarp, and various debris can be found near the location where the body was found.

"So I walked here and there he was," DeFazio stated.

"When you're out there lonely and or you're by yourself, an animal's everything to you," he added. 

DeFazio, who has witnessed the discovery of deceased homeless individuals in her neighborhood over the past few years, promptly alerted the police. The police then summoned a coroner to the site.

The coroner's office was able to ascertain that the man had been deceased for an entire week before DeFazio's discovery.

"I started putting 2 and 2 together. I knew I never seen that dog before, and I realized it was his," she added.

The dog of the unidentified man kept wandering the neighborhood for two weeks after DeFazio discovered his owner's body. 

DeFazio reportedly dedicated the following two weeks to capturing the German shepherd. 

"I propped up with dark clothes on in the bushes and literally with the flashlights. And I’m like, I can do this. If anyone can do it, I could do it," she said.

Is the German Shepherd OK?

DeFazio enlisted the support of two other women, including Nicole Hartman, who is involved with local dog rescue operations, to aid her in her quest to locate the dog.

Hartman expressed that the unfortunate canine is experiencing sorrow following the demise of its owner.

"He's healthy. He's in good shape. He's sweet as can be. But he's crying for his owner. He wants his owner. And that's obviously not happening now," she stated.

Hartman stated that the dog is currently not fit for re-adoption, but will be ready in due course.

"Give me 30 days, He's going to be a whole different dog," she stated. 'Right now, he's sad. He's depressed."

"He's crying. He's not eating. He's not drinking. I think he finally peed. But it's going to take him a good week to decompress," she added. 

DeFazio thinks that she has done a service to the dog and its deceased owner by striving to secure a safe home for him.

Regarding DeFazio, she expressed her contentment at having located the dog and ensured its safety, all as a tribute to its late owner.

"It felt like he was grateful he was found, and I felt like the dog did take me to him. And all I could do is be respectful and preserve his honor, whether he was homeless, chose to be or not," she mentioned.