Missing Dog in Kansas Murder Found in California

A dog that had been missing from Ottawa County ever since his owner was found murdered, has been found alive and well in California.

On Saturday, Aug. 12, Matthew Schoshke’s body was discovered by a family member in his Tescott area home. Schoshke’s Ford F150 pickup truck was missing from the scene, as was his dog Zeus.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, on Aug. 22, information was received that led authorities to believe the truck may have been located in Los Angeles, California.

KBI agents and Ottawa County Sheriff Keith Coleman traveled to California. They collected evidence from the abandoned truck and were also able to identify a suspect.

On Friday evening, Aug. 25, a warrant was issued for the arrest of 34-year-old Robert Colson of Bucksport, Maine.

KBI agents, the Sheriff, and Los Angeles Police Department homicide detectives were working to locate Colson, but prior to identifying his location he was involved in an incident at approximately 11:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 25 in Martinez, Calif. During this incident he allegedly stabbed a person while aboard an Amtrak train. Colson was attempting to escape from the train when he was injured.

While an arrest was made, and the truck was recovered, Zeus was still missing.

Schoshke family and friends had continued to hold out hope that Zeus would be found. Photos, and the story, were shared via social media, as part of the search.

On Wednesday afternoon the family announced, via social media, that Zeus has been located in California:

“On Sunday, a dog was posted and shared to ‘Help the Matt Schoshke’ page after it had been seen up for adoption in a California shelter. We immediately felt this was a strong probable match due to markings. We compared photos with Matt’s family & friends along with law enforcement and the animal shelter; they were able to identify him and confirm this was in fact Zeus. Unfortunately, Zeus had been adopted out a few hours prior to the post, and due to Labor Day weekend things were slowed down a bit to track him down. The adoptive family felt he was pretty special too, yet was understanding due to the circumstances. We are pleased to say he will be home with the family soon!”

The Kansas Attorney General’s Office is prosecuting the case, and have filed charges that include one count of murder in the second degree-intentional and two counts of felony theft. The attorney general’s office accepted the case for prosecution at the request of the Ottawa County Attorney’s Office.