Tiburon family reunited with missing dog after standoff; woman arrested

Lani the cavapoo is seen in this image provided by owner Lea Inbody on Oct. 6. Lani escaped from the Inbodys' backyard on Oct. 1 and was found by a nearby resident who claims she tried to return the dog but couldn't make out the phone number on the tag. Inbody and police, however, allege the woman demanded cash and other gifts for the dog's return.

A Tiburon woman was arrested Oct. 2 on suspicion of grand theft and resisting police after the owner of a missing dog tracked her cavapoo to the woman’s apartment using an Apple AirTag.

The 60-year-old resident was booked into Marin County Jail and released Oct. 3 after posting bail. The Marin District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case.

The Ark is not identifying the woman because no charges had been filed by press time Oct. 14.

Police say the woman picked up the 5-year-old cavapoo, named Lani, after it escaped from owners Lea and Timothy Inbody’s yard Oct. 1. Officers obtained a search warrant after the woman allegedly refused to return the dog and demanded $250, flowers and fruit in exchange for its release.

In an interview with The Ark, the woman said she found the dog and had tried to locate its owner. She disputed the allegations against her.

The search

Lea Inbody said Lani disappeared from her backyard and suspected a delivery driver left the gate open, allowing the dog to wander off. It had happened before, Inbody said, and neighbors typically called when they spotted Lani.

This time, no one did.

After hours of searching with no leads, Inbody used her phone to check the location of the AirTag on Lani’s collar. The signal pointed to an apartment at The Hilarita complex on Ned’s Way, about 500 feet downhill of the Inbodys’ Spring Lane home. She knocked repeatedly that afternoon and evening. No one answered.

Inbody said she wondered if the AirTag had fallen off or malfunctioned. As night fell and rain began, she gathered her two sons — ages 2 and 4 — and searched the neighborhood but began losing hope.

“I thought it was so weird that nobody’s seen her,” she said. “I never figured that someone stole my dog. I thought she’d been eaten by a coyote or hit by a car.”

“It was horrible,” she said. “And it was so unfortunate because I have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old that I’m trying to stay positive for. And they’re crying and looking for their dog.”

The next day, Oct. 2, Inbody posted Lani’s photo online on NextDoor, asking for help. That afternoon, while searching near Ned’s Way again with her older son, a Hilarita resident told Inbody she’d seen the dog with a neighbor, at the same apartment Inbody tried previously.

Inbody says she returned to the apartment and knocked.

“The second I say, ‘dog,’ she deadbolts her door and acts like nobody’s home,” Inbody alleged. “So you could hear her lock the door from the inside. My alarm bells go off.”

Inbody called police about 2:40 p.m.

The standoff

Officers arrived at 2:45 p.m. and tried to contact the woman inside. She didn’t answer. Officers reportedly confirmed with neighbors that the woman had been seen with the dog, and police dispatch logs show one officer said they spotted Lani through a window.

Police began seeking a search warrant based on probable cause that grand theft had occurred, according to Detective Sgt. Rob Law. Despite being contacted by Inbody and police, the woman allegedly refused to return the dog and made demands in exchange for its release, Law said.

Law said the demands constituted extortion. Inbody said she was willing to accommodate reasonable requests but objected to paying for the return of her own dog.

About 7 p.m., a caretaker for woman, Isabella Kirichenko, arrived and called her, translating from Russian as officers tried to negotiate the dog’s return. In the meantime, Marin Superior Court Judge Andrew Sweet signed the search warrant at 7:10 p.m., Law said.

The woman had reportedly barricaded the front door and told Kirichenko that entry would need to be made through a window, Law said. She eventually agreed to let Kirichenko retrieve the dog through a back window.

According to police Capt. Jarrod Yee, officers and the supervisor determined the situation was low risk and that allowing Kirichenko to enter could help de-escalate the situation and lead to a peaceful resolution. Kirichenko agreed.

She said she climbed inside and spoke with the woman, but when Kirichenko tried to take the dog and leave, the woman grabbed her, Kirichenko said.

Kirichenko told police that the woman clawed at her face and body while trying to prevent her from retrieving the dog, Law said. She had scratches on her face but declined to press charges.

The woman denied this and said Kirichenko elbowed her.

Officers monitoring the situation heard sounds of an altercation, and Kirichenko’s cries for help prompted officers to enter through the window, Law said.

Police arrested the woman and took her to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center for a reported medical issue before booking her into jail.

The suspect’s account

In an interview with The Ark, the woman said she found Lani the afternoon of Oct. 1 near The Hilarita and did not intend to keep the dog.

“She just ran and jumped into my hands and started licking me,” she recalled. “I was so surprised.”

She said she carried the dog around the complex for 40 minutes, asking neighbors if it belonged to any of them. She checked NextDoor but found no posts about a lost dog. Many neighbors knew she was searching for the owner, she said.

“A lot of people know my phone number. A lot of people knew that I had her at that time,” she said. “But nobody claimed her. I also told the neighbors I had her in case someone was looking, just so they knew the dog was safe, fed and well cared for.”

The dog wore a collar with a tag, but the phone number was too worn to read, the woman said.

She said she fed Lani and let her sleep in her bed. She worried about coyotes and bobcats attacking the dog.

The woman said she struggles with multiple psychiatric and physical disorders and that loud banging on her door frightened her — which is why she didn’t answer.

“It caused a huge distress upon me and upon the dog,” she said. “That is not the proper way to conduct business.”

She said she texted photos to Kirichenko showing the dog was safe.

Despite her arrest, the woman praised the officers.

“I want to express my deep gratitude to the officers,” she said. “They were very nice to me.”

Reunion

After nearly eight hours outside the woman’s apartment, Inbody brought Lani home.

“I was thrilled,” she said. “I honestly just was so grateful to the Tiburon police and all the neighbors that stood with me for seven or eight hours and helped me. I couldn’t believe she was alive because I had kind of come to terms with the fact that she was most likely eaten because nobody had called me. And I just couldn’t believe that she was still alive.”

Her two children were “ecstatic” to have the dog home.

“She’s been with us since they were born,” Inbody said. “She’s a huge part of our family.”

Inbody posted a photo on NextDoor thanking police and neighbors. Many responded, celebrating Lani’s return.

She urged other pet owners to use tracking devices.

“I really want to urge dog owners and cat owners and whoever to put an AirTag in your animal’s collar,” she said. “Just another layer of security. If you lose your animal or pet, or God forbid they get out.”

Reach Belvedere, Strawberry and public-safety reporter Tyler Callister at 415-944-4627.