CLEARFIELD, Utah — Four days after a woman allegedly stole a vehicle with a dog inside from a Clearfield gas station, the suspect was taken into custody.
However, the dog has still not been found.
On Wednesday afternoon, Melissa Rush, 31, was named a person of interest by the Clearfield Police Department in connection to Sunday's carjacking outside a Maverik at 709 South State Street. Rush allegedly grabbed car keys from 74-year-old Dee Thorell inside the gas station before driving away in the Lexus RX350 with jer 7-year-old Shih Tzu inside.
Rush allegedly fled from a police stop the same day, with officers finding the abandoned Lexus hours later, although the dog, Reo, was not located.
For Thorell and her daughter, losing Reo has been a nightmare.
"Having a Shih Tzu is not like having a real dog.He's like more like having a two-year-old, and I gotta tell you, he's my baby," said Thorell. "I talk to him all day. I kiss him goodbye when I go to the store and I tell him I won't be long and I tell him I love him.
"You know, he's my companion and he's my little, my little baby boy."
Just before 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thorell's daughter, Andrea Wilden, received a tip about Rush's location and called Clearfield police.
"As soon as I saw that, I immediately called the cops and as I was doing so I'm getting more and more. They started following her," she said.
After realizing she had been spotted, arrest documents say Rush and a male companion ran into a "large industrial area and hid from police actively searching for them."
Police then went to Rush's home where she and the male were seen "running upstairs inside the apartment" and "failed to respond" to officers. After Rush was finally taken into custody, she refused to speak and was booked into the Davis County Jail.
"I don't understand why she won't tell us where Reo is. I mean, that just devastates me," said Thorell on Thursday.
Police said no further information on Reo whereabouts was obtained and detectives are still looking for the dog.
Rush was previously told by store clerks at the Maverik in February that she was not allowed back in the store "due to unrelated issues Melissa had caused." Video surveillance from Sunday's incident allegedly showed Rush checking other vehicles before entering the station.
As she drove away in the stolen Lexus, Rush struck Thorell with the car and dragged her across the parking lot, causing her to suffer a broken arm and bruising to the face.
While her mother's injuries will heal, Thorell's daughter is hoping their broken heart will heal as well with the return of Reo.
"Ultimately, we just want our dog home and it's, if anyone has any information, you'll remain completely anonymous," pleaded Andrea Wilden. "We just need that information. If you know any little sort of tip, that goes a long way sometimes."
Rush faces multiple charges, including robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and theft.
