Last Updated on April 19, 2020 5:11 pm
It is with great sadness, the Boone Police Department announces the death of active duty K9 “Kyra”, due to a medical condition. K9 Kyra and her partner, Detective James Lyall have been working together since June of 2017, and were assigned to the Narcotics Division, according to a statement by the Department.
Over the last 2.5 years together they have assisted numerous agencies including the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), United States Postal Service (USPS), Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Ashe County Sheriff’s, Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee, and many others.
Together they have been instrumental in removing drugs from the streets of Boone, Northwestern North Carolina, and Eastern Tennessee. They have directly seized over 8 pounds of methamphetamine, 13 pounds of marijuana, 3 ounces of cocaine, 46 grams of heroin, and contributed to the arrest of 63 individuals for drug trafficking violations over the last 2.5 years.
The Department said in a statement, “We would ask that you keep Detective Lyall, his family, and the entire Boone Police Department family in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of our K9 sister, “Kyra”.
Kyra has served our department, our community and indeed North Carolina well. We are grateful for her contributions and we will miss her. I wish to send my condolences to Detective James Lyall and his family. Most of us have pets that we love. We go to work and see them again when we come home. Since Kyra was James’ partner she spent her whole life with James creating a strong bond between the two. Our hearts go out to James as we know he will greatly miss his partner and friend. I would like to thank all of the officers and agencies that gave of their time on Saturday afternoon to give her a fitting tribute, Captain Andy Le Beau stated.
“Kyra was the best single purpose drug detection K9 I’ve ever worked with. Kyra’s ability says a lot about Detective Lyall’s dedication and passion for training. I also want to thank Dr. Johnson, Dr. Chesnutt and their amazing staff at the Animal Hospital of Boone for their love and support over the last six months. Godspeed Kyra and thank you for your service.”, Lieutenant Daniel Duckworth stated.
