UPDATE:

Please keep sharing and signing this petition but AR HAS BEEN DENIED!!! Please no statements of violence, harassing of anyone involved, families etc. The wheels of Justice are spinning, we want it all above board and through the proper channels. 

Thank you so much everyone!!! We did it!! He will answer to the charges. The next court date is April 12th, 2023 at Danbury Superior Court. 

Victim Impact Statement read by Cimo and Lieben’s owner, Erin Caviola: 

Good morning Your Honor,

“My husband and I have been married for over 32 years, and in those years our animal-loving family has had many pets and many dogs. Although we have also lost many pets, we have always felt a sense of closure knowing we were there to comfort our pets as they left this world. In the murders of Cimo and Lieben we have had no closure. We have had no comfort. All we have is pain, anger, disappointment, and worst of all, the horribly gruesome images of our beloved dogs shot dead and skinned. We live with the emotional pain as we think about what they felt in their final moments, lying beside each other dying. They loved each other so much, to picture that is heartbreaking. 

Their murder, skinning, and beheading has taken a very large emotional toll on our family. The violence of Cimo and Lieben’s death and mutilation has caused unimaginable trauma, suffering, exhaustion and has left a black cloud over our usually happy and loving family. Since November 18th when our dogs went missing, every ounce of our free time has gone into finding them. Our family spent every waking second trying to find them while trying to work. Whether that be by posting things on social media, scrolling through missing pet pages, or answering every phone call and text that came to my phone. We would drop everything the second we received a possible sighting and rush to the scene, only to be disappointed. We would drive home frustrated, crying, feeling like we let down our innocent dogs who loved us unconditionally. After a month of living this way, the pain of finding out they were brutally murdered just hours after they went missing was immense. All that time our family, friends, neighbors and strangers had spent searching for them, and they had been dead the whole time, all the while Mike Konschak, the person responsible, kept it a secret. 

This black cloud has remained over our family as we try to rationalize what would make someone do this to our dogs. Instead of talking about our days or happy memories, the conversation in our house is stressful and emotional as we discuss the investigation or the crime or actions we feel should be taken. We are constantly stressed ourselves or watching another family member feel stressed out. We break down retelling the story to friends and family. The killing of Cimo and Lieben has completely taken over our large and happy family and we want our joy back. 

This is from my teenage son: Cimo and Lieben were brother and sister to me, I grew up and got older with them. I always knew they would one day die and I dreaded that day but I never thought that they would die in such a horrific way. Every single pet I have had I was able to say goodbye to and pet their body before we buried them. Sadly this time I was unable to do so with Cimo and Lieben that I grew up with and have always known. It is a tragic event and we are deeply scarred by this and wish to see his AR be denied. Cimo and Lieben were two of the greatest dogs this earth will ever see, I miss them greatly and hope we can get Justice for them. 

My daughter is a new mother and suffers from postpartum anxiety and has many thoughts of dangerous things happening to her babies. Before Cimo and Lieben’s death she felt like she could manage these and that nothing bad would actually happen. Now, she finds it hard to spend time with her children in the backyard or take them out on walks around our neighborhood because she is afraid they will meet the same fate as our dogs. She spends hours a day scanning the woods, fearful now that his crimes have to light. Our yard and neighborhood were always a safehaven and now they have become tarnished.

Statement from Family Friend: 

Cimo and Lieben were the greatest duo I have ever met. I’ll never forget Cimo jumping in the swing set with us, the smiles on their faces when they came to the kitchen door, and how gentle they were when little ones were around. I don’t know why God had this plan for them, it makes no sense at all to me, but those two were never meant to be apart and now their souls will live together forever up in Heaven. 

The petition made in support of our dogs and to ask that Mike Konschak not receive AR, and for him to be charged with animal cruelty, has surpassed 50,000 signatures and has been signed from people all over the world, from South Africa to Japan to Australia. We have the support of so many people who also feel like the murder, skinning, beheading, and scattering of our dogs’ remains is a serious crime. For months we have been told to keep the details of Cimo and Lieben’s fate a secret while the investigation played out but we cannot be silent anymore. We will not let what happened to them out there in the woods be forgotten or hidden any longer. The details of the horrors that played out at the hands of Mike Konschak must be made public. We are asking that the details of this crime not disappear. We are asking that Mike Konschak not receive AR. We have to live with this forever and we feel he should, too. This was not an accident or a mistake, but rather an intentional disregard for regulations put in place to ensure safety. This was a gross uncaring act of shooting what were obviously pet dogs followed but the disgusting desire to taxidermy a family’s beloved missing pets while they were still out searching for them. Even more upsetting, Mike Konschak lacked the compassion to be truthful about the location of the dogs remains after knowing the family wanted to bury them at home. Only concerned with himself and the repercussions he concealed their location and other relevant information regarding the incident. 

Mike Konschak never came forward to tell us what he did or help us find our dogs. A caring person came forward to tell us and show us the photos. Mike Konschak only came forward once he was caught.

Mike Konschak where are Cimo and Lieben’s heads?”

 

Cimo and Lieben were both shot to death, skinned, beheaded, taken to taxidermists (who turned them away), and eventually had their remains scattered throughout various locations in Connecticut and New York State. They were killed on November 18th, 2022, only hours after they went missing from their 6-foot tall fenced in yard, after a bear tore down part of the fence and they gave chase. They were killed in a yard off of Topcrest Lane, connecting to sparse woods that touched their own yard and the yards of many young families, as well as Ridgebury Elementary School in Ridgefield, CT. The man who did this is named Mike Konschak. He forged permission to be hunting on private property in this area as he is from New York.

After weeks of family, friends, strangers, and search dogs spending much of their free time looking for Cimo and Lieben, the family hired a tracking dog who tracked their scent until it ended right outside of a wooded location. The family shared this information in a social media post which was shared a further 7,000 times. On December 12th, the day after this post was made, a good samaritan came forward to tell the family that pictures of Cimo and Lieben (deceased and skinned) had been shared by Mike Konschak. The family had to endure the pain of seeing these photos. Here is a link to the photos, although they are very difficult to see and share. https://postimg.cc/gallery/sSt27g0 

Since then, the family has been anxiously watching the investigation and eventual arrest of Mike Konschak. Disappointingly, he has applied for Accelerated Rehabilitation in order to make his two felonies and 3 misdemeanors relating to the murder of Cimo and Lieben disappear from public record. Cimo and Lieben were very clearly beloved family pets. They were not the coloring or size of coyotes, nor any other wild animal native to this area. Cimo was neutered and Lieben had a full hysterectomy. They both bore signs of minor surgeries and other noticeable marks one would notice while beheading and skinning them. The investigators recovered bits of remains from Cimo and Lieben but they have not recovered their heads. 

The family knows that everyone who has participated in the search for Cimo and Lieben will be heartbroken to learn of their horrible fate. The toll this has taken on the family and the community is so great. The hours, days, and weeks spent searching for them took an extremely large toll on the family, their friends, and even strangers who wanted to help. The exhaustion that came from answering endless phone calls, eagerly driving to each possible sighting, and returning home heartbreakingly empty handed has been immense. 

The family and friends of Cimo and Lieben are asking you to share this story and if you have it in your hearts to sign a petition asking for Mike Konschak (represented by Brian Romano) to be denied Accelerated Rehabilitation and for him to be additionally charged with Animal Cruelty, for this act against two family pets was cruel. His arraignment was February 2, 2023 and he will be in court again on March 1, 2023 at Danbury Superior Court at 10am. His charges are: forgery in the 2nd class D, tampering with evidence 2 counts, interfering with police, failing to have permit to hunt, and killing of domesticated dogs. Deborah Mabbett is the DA and Judge Charles Stango is hearing this case. The family would be grateful if anyone wanted to attend this next court hearing, during which the family will be reading a victim impact statement. 

The family would also like to thank everyone for their compassion, kindness, and support during the search for Cimo and Lieben, and for the patience everyone has had while waiting to hear what happened to these two beloved pets.