SAN MARCOS, Texas — "Active and generous" is how Ron Hardy remembers his 26-year-old stepdaughter, Mandy Rose Reynolds.
"She's always wanting – eager, I guess I would say – to help others. Very outgoing. She didn't like staying in one place at any, you know, any one place for very long," Hardy said.
Moving to San Marcos to be with her best friend, Reynolds also shared her generous spirit with her dog, a mini labradoodle named Titan.
"She spoiled that dog bad. Talking about a loved and spoiled puppy, he was definitely that," Hardy said.
That inseparable relationship was put on display in April of last year when Robinson, Texas, police discovered a dead body burned beyond recognition and a white dog standing by, barking frantically and refusing to leave the area near the body.
The next morning, a resident found the dog sitting at the spot where the body had been the night before. Later, Animal Control discovered that the dog was Titan. A medical examiner later confirmed Reynolds' identity through dental records and said that she died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Alyssa Killin, an assistant district attorney with the McLennan County District Attorney's Office, said Titan was key to investigating this case.
"She didn't have any ties to the area, so there was really no reason to think that she could have ended up here," Killin said.
Police discovered Reynolds' car was in Wichita, Kansas, and after a high-speed chase ended, they discovered the driver was Reynolds' cousin, 29-year-old Derek Daigneault, who was staying with Reynolds.
"It's very heart-wrenching. Heartbreaking because, again, the only reason she did what she did was because it was family," Hardy said.
After an investigation that also involved San Marcos police, it was confirmed the bullet found in Reynolds' body and the shell casing found by police were fired by a handgun in Daigneault's possession. He was sentenced to life in prison this past week.
It is was a gruesome murder solved in part by an unbreakable bond.
"[Titan] wasn't about to leave Mandy. He refused to leave her," Hardy said. "He knew his mama, and he had nothing but love for her."
The McLennan County District Attorney's Office said it does not have a motive for the murder. Titan is now living with Reynolds' best friend.
Hardy said Titan was at the trial and was showing love to everyone.