CANBY, Ore. — A Clackamas County woman who had pet rabbits stolen from her backyard multiple times is sharing her story to find out if there are others who’ve lost pets to the same thief.
Melissa Zielinski says she noticed rabbits missing from her rabbit cages and didn’t know what to think. She then noticed things had been moved or taken from the backyard.
Law enforcement needed more evidence, so Zielinski says she bought and installed a surveillance camera. She said it wasn’t long before the alleged thief made an appearance.
The video shows a woman creeping around the rabbit shelter, trying to get past the locked gates. Another night, the thief is seen bagging what appears to be rabbits in some sort of purse.
Zielinski was shocked when she spotted the suspect’s face on the video. She recognized her. Zielinski said she previously met Bridey Olinger outside her own home when Olinger claimed to be picking blackberries. Zielinski even invited her to see her rabbits.
Another alleged rabbit theft victim met Zielinski on Facebook and reported his case to the authorities. Olinger, who worked near the alleged second victim's home, is now facing charges related to both victims.
“It can be a lot of stress and trauma when you find your pets are missing,” said Zielinski. "Especially for the other victim who has children."
It’s taken Zielinski years of talking to authorities, searching websites selling rabbits and monitoring her surveillance camera to get to this point.
She became obsessive about watching for the intruder. "She [intruder] would go behind the camera, the camera would shake and I’d come out to find rabbits missing.”
Zielinski said in one instance, the suspect even left her cell phone in the yard.
Zielinski handed the phone over to the authorities.
“I literally starting putting locks on all the cages because I didn’t know when someone would come through and take them.”
Zelinski says she lost her job and her home due to all of the distraction. She said her landlord was fed up with the constant thefts and police response.
Zelinski was more worried about her rabbits.
“I felt like I failed them because I felt it was my job to protect them,” she said.