Inside the investigation, seizure and death of Peanut the social media star squirrel

New York environmental workers who came with a warrant looking for Peanut the squirrel found the scampering social media star on a bathtub. His housemate, Fred the raccoon, was in a suitcase in a bedroom closet.
Soon after the Oct. 30 seizure, both animals were euthanized and Peanut became a martyr – held up as a symbol of government overreach by political candidates, including Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who invoked Peanut’s name during a rally just days before the presidential election. State and Local officials were inundated with angry messages and even bomb threats.