Scientists are tracing back the history of dogs using the oldest genes from the species ever studied. Scientists think dogs descended from an ancient population of gray wolves somewhere in Europe or Asia. But exactly when and where this happened remain a mystery. Researchers examined ancient genes from the remains of over 200 dogs and wolves and found that the oldest dated back to about 15,800 years ago. Ancient dogs' lives were closely tied to the movements of the humans they lived with. Scientists can’t paint a picture of exactly what the first dogs looked like, but think they resembled smaller wolves. The new studies were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Police say the mother of two girls found buried inside suitcases in a Cleveland field has been charged with two counts of murder. Twenty-eight-year-old Aliyah Henderson is accused of killing Mila Chatman and Amor Wilson. Their remains were recovered after a dog walker led authorities to the suitcases four days earlier. Mila's father, DeShaun Chatman, says he had been looking for his daughter and pursuing custody for five years before investigators told him late Wednesday that she was dead. Phone numbers linked to Henderson were no longer hers, and it was unclear if she was represented by a lawyer.

The North Dakota Highway Patrol's newest recruit has floppy ears, four legs and a powerful tool for finding people. Beau the bloodhound pup joins a band of dogs that is in demand for difficult cases around the Midwest. The Patrol now has four bloodhounds, and they've been called to Montana, South Dakota and Utah to help searches. Trooper Steven Mayer helps train dogs around the world. The Patrol's dogs are also something of a social media sensation, which Mayer hopes creates awareness and inspires earlier calls for assistance.