Police believe that Jacqueline Watts, the Indianapolis woman who was found dead
Saturday morning after being reported missing the night before, was not
the victim of a homicide but instead died while trying to save a
runaway dog, Columbus police said at a Monday press conference.
The
33-year-old’s body was found on a sandbar in the Flatrock River in
Columbus, Indiana, Saturday morning. At the press conference, police
said multiple eye-witnesses remember seeing Watts chasing after a small,
white dog wearing a sweater near the river.
It
remains a mystery how Watts died, Lt. Matt Harris of the Columbus
police department said, noting that the coroner report had not yet been
released.
“There are still questions that we are working to answer,” Harris said.
The
dog, later identified as a local dog named Ringo whose owners reported
him lost over the weekend, was found dead on the shore of the river,
Harris said.
“Jackie
saw beauty in everybody,” the Watts family said in a statement read at
the press conference. “She lived and loved with great humility.”
The statement added, “Oh, that we would all be filled with enough passion to give our lives for what we believe in.”
Watts
was reported missing Friday night when she failed to return home from
dropping her pets off at a relative’s home. The 33-year-old was
scheduled to take a trip with her husband to Washington, D.C., later
that night.
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The
night of Watts’ disappearance, Columbus police responded to a
suspicious vehicle on a road near the river. Upon arrival, officers
found Watts car running on the side of the road with the flashers on,
her purse and cell phone inside and the passenger door open, police have
said.
On Sunday, police announced they did not suspect foul play to be involved in her death.
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Watts was an animal lover who volunteered at local shelters and was on the board of directors at Indyclaw Animal Rescue.
“Jackie
was always taking home the really sick bunnies that she could nurture
back to health,” Indyclaw Rescue wrote on their Facebook page. “We love
her and will never forget all she did for us and the animals.”
When
she wasn’t helping animals, Watts worked as a teaching assistant in the
Indianapolis public schools and also coordinated events for the local
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America chapter.
“We
will continue to celebrate her life through the memories she has left
through our lives,” her family said in the statement read at the press
conference. “As her family, we are eternally grateful for the time we
had with Jackie. ”
Watts’
family could not immediately be reached for comment. A coroner’s report
will be released at a later date, authorities said.
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