Overview
- The family's beagle mix vanished Saturday night in Deltona, and a caller Sunday morning claimed a car strike and urgent surgery.
- The caller demanded nearly $2,800 upfront and sent images that appeared to show the dog on an operating table.
- Red flags in the photos included mismatched fur details, an X-ray dated 2022, and a clinic address that was actually Deltona City Hall.
- The owners declined to pay, a neighbor tracked down the woman who had picked up the dog, and Archer was returned home Thursday morning.
- The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation, and experts urge owners to request a real-time photo beside a chosen object, verify clinics by phone, and scan images for AI artifacts on edges, paws, and textures.