NORTH CAROLINA — As search and rescue efforts continue in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which left a trail of devastation across western North Carolina and West Virginia, troubling reports have surfaced about a potential scam involving a self-proclaimed K-9 handler.
A woman searching for her missing mother, a victim of the hurricane, claims that a fraudulent cadaver dog handler has manipulated her family and disrupted official recovery efforts.
The allegations surfaced on October 21, when the daughter of a missing person took to social media to warn others about a man named Nick Lacaria. According to the post, Lacaria arrived on the scene on October 13, claiming that his dog, Maverick, was a certified cadaver K-9.
The woman reported that Lacaria told her family that his dog had alerted to several locations, even providing a detailed and disturbing account of how her mother’s remains might have been scattered.
However, days later, the family discovered that Lacaria’s credentials and claims were false. “We now know that he is a complete fraud,” the woman wrote. “Experts in the field have discredited him, and there is video of him signaling to his dog to sit and cause an ‘alert.’” The family was devastated to learn that the handler had misled them and caused further delays in their search for their mother.
More alarmingly, Lacaria allegedly posted on social media that he had found the missing woman’s remains—a claim the family vehemently denies.
The misleading post led to resources being pulled from the search effort, as teams believed the case had been resolved. Despite requests from the family to update or remove the post, it remained online until being deleted after significant public backlash.
Even after his Facebook page was made private, Lacaria’s GoFundMe account—where he solicited donations for further search and rescue operations—remained active, raising $1,600 as of October 23.
The fundraiser claimed that Lacaria and his dog were “activated” for cadaver recovery efforts, but there is no evidence that he was officially deployed by any agency. Instead, reports suggest that Lacaria self-deployed and used the disaster for personal gain, a practice that is increasingly under scrutiny.
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Expert Response: Debunking the Fraud
The unfolding situation caught the attention of Lisa Briggs, a renowned human remains detection (HRD) K-9 expert and director of Western Carolina University’s K-9 training program. In a press release on October 23, Briggs addressed the growing concern about fraudulent or improperly trained K-9 handlers taking advantage of disaster situations. While she did not mention Lacaria by name, the circumstances described in her statement bear striking similarities to the case brought forward by the missing woman’s daughter.
“Unethical behavior from handlers, such as trying to raise money and diverting needed resources for personal gain during a disaster, is completely unacceptable,” Briggs said in the statement. “Agency resources are being diverted to double check what is in fact a false alert.”
Briggs and fellow K-9 instructor Edwin Grant also detailed numerous examples of improper alerts from K-9 teams, with some handlers mistaking animal remains or other debris for human victims. “We’ve had cases where K-9s have alerted on animal bones or even objects like fishing lures,” Grant explained. “This has caused families to suffer unnecessary delays in the search for their loved ones.”
Briggs emphasized the damage caused by false information spread on social media by unscrupulous handlers. In some cases, handlers had claimed to recover multiple victims, only for those finds to turn out to be animal remains or, in one instance, a fishing lure. These false claims not only mislead families but also pull vital resources away from legitimate recovery efforts.
What to Watch For
As Hurricane Helene recovery efforts continue, the incident serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of self-promotion and fraudulent behavior during disasters.
Families searching for loved ones are reminded to verify the credentials of any individuals or organizations offering search and recovery services, and officials are being urged to crack down on those using tragedy for personal gain.
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Ongoing Recovery and Search Efforts
As search teams from across the country continue their efforts to locate the missing in hurricane-affected areas, the focus remains on accountability. Legitimate K-9 handlers like Briggs and Grant are urging families and officials to be cautious when dealing with independent handlers, especially those soliciting donations or promoting themselves on social media.
Briggs’ final message is clear: “We all must be accountable for our actions, which includes our K-9s. Anything that we do to further harm an already devastated community is unacceptable.”
In the meantime, the family of the missing woman is still holding out hope for closure. Though they were temporarily misled by the fraudulent handler, they continue to work with experienced search teams to find answers.
Neither the daughter of the missing woman nor Lacaria responded to requests for comment. As of this writing, Lacaria’s GoFundMe page remains active, but the community’s outrage and calls for action against him are growing louder by the day.
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