Suspect identified in the killing of Idaho Springs dog breeder Paul Peavey

The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office plans to charge 36-year-old Sergio Ferrer with murder and robbery in the death of Idaho Springs dog breeder Paul Peavey, officials announced Friday.

Peavey, 57, was found dead on Saturday by a search party of his family and friends after being reported missing earlier in the week. He had last been heard from on the evening of Aug. 19, according to the sheriff’s office.

Within hours of Peavey’s body being discovered, the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office with support from the Georgetown Police Department apprehended Ferrer. He was arrested on warrant for failure to appear in court on an unrelated weapons charge in Nebraska but he had already been identified as a person of interest in Peavey’s death, according to Friday’s news release.

The sheriff’s office, state investigators and the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office have now collected enough evidence to charge Ferrer with first-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery, according to Firday’s announcement. The district attorney’s office will determine the final charges filed against him.

Peavey lived in Idaho Springs and bred Dobermans through his company Elite European Dobermans. After his body was found, the sheriff’s office announced that as many as 10 puppies were missing from his property. Anyone who has recently purchased a Doberman puppy in the last two weeks is asked to contact the sheriff’s office. Peavey’s dogs are microchipped for identification.

Friday’s release noted the puppies are still unaccounted for.