“It is with heavy heart that I must advise, my K9 partner, Suzie passed away last night. She had a one-year battle with cancer. She was my best canine partner ever. I really miss her. RIP big girl.”—–Deputy Kevin Bolling (BSO retired)
Suzie was the first bloodhound donated by the Jimmy Ryce Center and set the standards for the hundreds of bloodhounds that we gave to law enforcement agencies across the country. As a team, Suzie and Deputy Bolling were unstoppable and responsible for countless successful missions locating children and adults. She will never be forgotten.
Claudine Ryce, Jimmy’s mom, use to say that, “every time a bloodhound finds a child it’s as if Jimmy is giving us a hug.”
Donations can be made in Suzie’s memory at JimmyRyce.org
Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction
Jimmy Ryce’s Legacy and the Jimmy Ryce Bloodhound Network
On September 11, 1995, 9-year-old Jimmy Ryce was abducted, raped and murdered at the hands of a sexual predator on his way home from school. For three months, his parents led a massive search to find him. On December 9, 1995 Juan Carlos Chavez was arrested and confessed to the crime.
Jimmy was an amazing little boy whose life, filled with promise, was taken before his time. After months of mourning, his parents started to give thought about creating a foundation that would make a difference and have the potential to save other children lives.
To honor their son, Don and Claudine Ryce created the Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction to raise awareness about the plight of missing children, victims’ rights and violence. Through their tireless efforts, they brought about changes in legislation on local, state and national levels to keep children safe.
As the organization started to evolve, Don and Claudine decided to focus their energies on providing bloodhounds for law enforcement agencies. As it turns out, when Jimmy was abducted, a bloodhound was not available to aid in his search.
According to Claudine, “a bloodhound has 60 times the scent power of a German shepherd and is the only dog that can follow a human trail more than a few hours old. A bloodhound is your best single bet for bringing a child, abducted by a predator, home, alive. We believe that Jimmy would be alive today if a bloodhound had immediately been brought in to search for our son.”
In 2009, Jimmy’s mom, Claudine, passed away as a result of a heart attack and was buried in the plot next to Jimmy’s.
Today, Don and Jimmy’s brother, Ted, continue with the mission and actively raise funds to donate bloodhounds to law enforcement agencies. These four-legged warriors have outstanding track records in locating missing children and adults. A bloodhound costs $1000.
The Jimmy Ryce Center relies solely on donations to fund our efforts. Donations are made on the website http://jimmyryce.org or via the Facebook page Jimmy Ryce Center.
