The missing case of two-year-old Sunkara Gnaneshwari (Jahnavi), who disappeared from CH Agraharam in Tuni Mandal, Kakinada district, has now taken on an even more mysterious and deeply unsettling dimension. The sudden death of the pet dog — considered a crucial lead in the case — has caused a stir in the local area.
When little Gnaneshwari went missing last Saturday, the family’s pet dog had accompanied her. The dog was also nowhere to be found for four days, before returning home alone. Ever since it came back, it had been behaving strangely and appeared visibly frightened.
Police fitted the dog with a tracker in hopes of locating the missing child. Within just about an hour and a half, it ran nearly 8 kilometres at a rapid pace. Just as police were hopeful that the dog was leading them to where the child might be, it suddenly collapsed and died.
Death Blamed on Starvation
Officials say the dog weakened and died because it had not eaten since the previous day. However, some veterinarians suggest it stopped eating out of distress over the child’s disappearance. Experts also suspect the dog may have witnessed some terrifying event during those four days, and that the trauma of it could have contributed to its death.
Authorities are now investigating the actual cause of the dog’s death. Police are currently searching the 8-kilometre stretch the dog ran through in its final moments, reviewing CCTV footage from the area, and conducting a search for little Gnaneshwari with dedicated teams.