Reward in Suwanee swan killings reaches $5,000

The Humane Society of the United States and the Rosemoore Lake neighborhood are offering rewards totaling $5,000 to find the killer of eight swans that lived in the quiet Suwanee subdivision.

The community initially put up $2,500 to help solve the June 8 killing, the third one in as many years. On Friday, the Humane Society doubled the reward.

"We do this around the country," said Jessica DuBois, state director of the Georgia Humane Society. "Since [the killings] kept repeating, we need to help them get to the bottom of this."

Gary Webb, a Rosemoore Lake resident who hand-fed the two adult swans and their six offspring every day in his backyard, said he hoped the reward will get the public's attention.

"Hopefully, that will make somebody say something," Webb said.

Webb discovered the dead swans in a creek just behind the subdivision. He said an adjacent yard was covered in feathers.

“They were our pets. Everyone in our neighborhood is torn up,” Webb said.

Someone shot the swans with an air rifle and dumped an adult and the six offspring, or cygnets, into the creek, according to Cpl. Jake Smith of the Gwinnett County Police Department. A neighbor, who is not believed to be responsible for the killing, found the other adult bird dead and buried it in his yard.

Smith said police have assigned a detective to the case. The person responsible could be charged with animal cruelty as well as criminal damage to property for killing the swans, which were worth about $9,000, he said.

While neighbors have their suspicions, Smith said police have not identified a suspect.

The swans were a symbol of the subdivision, according to resident Jackie Grube. She said their deaths have upset many in the community.

"It's very disturbing," Grube said. “Are they going to start killing our dogs?”

About four years ago, the community purchased a male and female swan -- spending about $1,500 dollars apiece -- to control the geese population. The swans could not fly, but Grube said they sometimes wandered outside the neighborhood and into the creek that runs behind houses that are not a part of Rosemoore Lake.

Jamie Hawk, executive director of the Atlanta Audubon Society, said swans are typically more aggressive than other water fowl and can be very protective of their offspring.

Grube said the swans acted a "little nasty" but were never a problem for her or her children. She also said the neighborhood never received complaints about them.

Three years ago, the original male was found dead near the site of this weekend's killing. The neighborhood replaced him, but a year later, two cygnets were found killed in the same area. Police looked into the incident but did not find a suspect, Webb said.

Wendy Simpson's backyard leads right to the location where the swans were found. She said it concerns her that someone was shooting a gun near her property, where her three children often play.

"I supervise them, but I can't supervise a stray bullet," Simpson said.

The swans were one of the reasons Eugene Pikous moved into the neighborhood. He said he can't understand why they were killed. "This is just vicious," he said.

Jill Tanner, who fed the swans from her lakeside gazebo said her grandchildren loved the swans. "What's concerning is that we have someone so cruel living by us," she said.

Pikous said he thinks the neighborhood should replace the swans.

But the killings have taken a toll on residents, and Webb said he would be reluctant to replace the swans, at least until the assailant is found.