Traverse City .

TRAVERSE CITY - Editor's Note: Last in a serial of people, places and events that made headlines in northern Michigan in 2010.

Brian Rogers doesn't let his cats roam around outside much anymore.He's leery they might end up like Remus, Rogers' former feline who fell victim last summer to a lot of animal mutilations throughout Blair Township.

ogers found half of Remus' body lying in his neighbor's yard last July, a spy that shocked he and his wife. He took his dead pet to a local veterinarian, who said it appeared someone cut Remus in half with a tongue or hacksaw. His finding spiraled into a lengthy Grand Traverse County Sheriff's Department investigation surrounding numerous complaints of cat killings and disappearances.The suspected culprit in at least one local cat killing remains behind bars as he awaits trial, which Rogers said gives him some feel of relief."We're sleeping a small bit easier, but I'd still wish to live where the front half of my cat is . the half containing my poor cat's head and his big, oversized paws," Rogers said.Authorities arrested and charged Jonathan David Cook, 18, of Grawn, with a felony count of kill or torturing animals.Cook told Grand Traverse sheriff's deputies a cat bit him when he attempted to pet it, so he stabbed the creature to death, police reports show. He denied severing the cat's head, but witnesses told investigators he bragged about doing good that. Cook is accused of dressing the cat's head in a plastic bag tied to his belt buckle, then showing off the prize to friends.Cook's mother doesn't believe her son is subject of carrying out those acts."I simply don't find that he did all the things that they're accusing him of," Kim Cook said. "It'd be nice if they extend their investigation in other directions, other than just him."Tipsters told authorities that Cook bragged about killing and torturing animals, which finally led to his arrest. Prosecutors never tied Remus' death to Cook, but deputies continue to inquire whether he was behind other animal mutilation complaints. Among those complaints are reports from neighbors of skunks, chipmunks and squirrels cut up and hung from trees and traffic signs.Cook's case was bound over to 13th Circuit Court, and he could undergo a psychiatric evaluation to decide whether he's fit to suffer trial. Kim Cook believes the "very cat killer" is on the loose, and hopes authorities realize that and drop the accusation against her son."He wants to get this stuff sorted out as shortly as possible so he can get his life back on track," she said.The blizzard of cat killings and disappearances also served as a hot-button issue for local animal-rights groups, including For Animals. Michele Wolf, For Animals president, was pleased authorities nabbed a suspect; she just hopes it's the mighty one."For somebody to do something similar that, there's something wrong there," she said. "That's not normal. With the mutilation, it's gone way beyond anything I've ever heard about up here. It's disconcerting . I'm very, very confused about that still."Follow our Newsmakers 2010 series online. Stories will be posted as they're published at record-eagle.com/newsmakers.