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A memorial for Zeus at Manzanita Lake shortly after he died. (Bobby Diaz/The Nevada Sagebrush)

John Geick was announced as the suspect and charged with a misdemeanor on Oct. 16 in relation to the death of Zeus, a male swan that resided at Manzanita Lake on the University of Nevada, Reno’s campus. Geick has been charged with animal cruelty and will appear in Reno’s Municipal Court on Nov. 6. He received the charge back in August, but the information had been kept from the public due to the case being an active investigation. 

Geick is being charged with overdrive, torturing, injuring, or abandoning an animal, but is not being charged with the direct killing of the swan.

In early March, Zeus was found dead. His death sparked various rumors, allegations, and an investigation regarding the mystery of the university’s tragic loss.

On Oct. 15, Channel 4 News revealed that UNR was keeping details about the death of Zeus away from the public. Earlier in July, the university had announced that the necropsy conducted by the University of California, Davis, concluded the swan had died of natural causes and showed no signs of trauma, making the Channel 4 announcement a shock to the many who loved Zeus.

Joe Hart, an anchor for Channel 4, had this to say on his Facebook page regarding the investigation:

“While it was never announced publicly I did learn through a source that a video was obtained by UNR Police as part of their investigation into Zeus’s death. Despite multiple requests, the university has declined to release a copy of that video even though they confirmed to me that their investigation is now complete,” he said. 

UNR officials have also declined to comment on the video except to say that it does not show anything that relates to Zeus’ death.

You can reach Bobby Diaz via email at robertod@unr.edu.

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