Have You Seen This Woman? Police Seek Public’s Help After Service Dog Stolen From Las Vegas Resident

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is asking the public to help identify a woman caught on camera stealing a service dog from an elderly resident near Boulder Highway last month, after investigators say they have exhausted their initial leads in the case.

The incident occurred in March at a business near the 5100 block of Boulder Highway, near Nellis Boulevard, where video surveillance footage showed an unknown woman grabbing the dog and leaving with it in a white Toyota minivan. The theft took place outside a Walmart near Harmon Avenue.

Surveillance images were officially released on Friday, April 17, as detectives had exhausted their initial leads. No arrests have been made and the suspect remains unidentified.

Police have not disclosed the breed or name of the stolen dog, nor have they publicly named the elderly woman. Still images of both the suspect and the vehicle have been released by LVMPD on social media and circulated publicly in hopes that someone will recognize them.

The theft carries serious legal exposure under Nevada law on multiple fronts. Under the state’s general theft statutes, theft becomes a felony when the property stolen is valued at $1,200 or more, and a professionally trained service dog, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars to breed, train, and certify, would likely exceed that threshold.

Beyond general theft law, Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 426 establishes specific protections for service animals. A person who willfully and maliciously beats a service animal is guilty of a category E felony, and a person who willfully and maliciously kills one is guilty of a category D felony.

A convicted person would also be required to pay restitution covering all costs for aides, assistance, transportation, and other hardships incurred during the absence and until the replacement of the service animal.

The case arrives amid broader animal welfare pressures across the Las Vegas Valley. The Animal Foundation, the largest single-site shelter in the country, took in 29,000 pets in 2025 alone, an 11 percent increase over the year before, and has described itself as constantly at or near capacity.

Anyone with information is asked to contact LVMPD’s Southeast Area Command at 702-828-3206, referencing Event LLV260300071235. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Nevada at 702-385-5555.