THE PROJECT STIGMA REPORT ON THE CONTI
INVESTIGATION INTO THE OCCURRENCE OF ANIMAL
NUING
MUTILATIONS
STIGMATA SUBSCRIPTIONS: This issue, STIGMATA no. 20, will be
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and weTl summarize the 1983 developments (and there have been a :
plus a number of mutilations, as we go to press in mid-1983). Regs
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351
1982 - A SUMMARY
In assessing the 1982 mutilation situation, we r ve elected to present our summary on
a state-by-state basis. There were some interesting cases - some exhibiting new,
additional quirks and characteristics - with a surfeit of reports mirroring past mu¬
tilation events virtually ad nauseam . Increasingly - especially among ranchers in
the West and Midwest - there is a tendency for the livestock-owner not to report
a mutilation to the local constabulary, fearing (with reason, unfortunately) that said
law enforcement agency will be ineffective at best in conducting a mutilation investi¬
gation which will produce results. Although it must be emphasized that there are
still some law enforcement officers and agencies in the land that will attempt to in¬
vestigate these matters with diligence and objectivity; some have thrown in the towel
(some sheriffs even refuse to investigate mutilations). In spite of these and other
myriad obstacles, the "investigation", such as it is, continues - in the hope that
with some combination of patience, persistence and optimism * the reach for under¬
standing and revelation will not go unrewarded.
ARIZONA
Although there have continued to be rumors regarding the occurrence of livestock mu¬
tilations in Arizona, few details have emerged. However, the following report was com¬
piled by E. Edwin Austin of the Mutilation Data Center (4623 E. Washington - Apt, 20;
Orange, California 92669):
The Maricopa County Sheriff's office in Fboenix reports in excess of 150
coyotes, dogs, caten a few possum, mutilated and/or skinned in urban,
suburban and rural Maricopa County, Arizona. Except for one unconfirmed
report from Show Low (ed.note: Navajo County, eastern Arizona), the in¬
cidents were confined to Maricopa County,
Heads and legs were cut off; the animals were disemboweled, a few skinned
(note: This description parallels a group of about 20 cats killed in Irvine,
California about two years ago).
Inaccurate media coverage stresses cult connection. A sheriff's spokesman
says there was only one such incident, involving U greyhounds and one
possum. Pieces of paper were found at the scene, marked with the Star of
David, modified to include circle in center with diagonal line from upper
right to lower left. Three sources (2 in law enforcement) report unreliable
information (from nationally-circulated tabloid) that a similar series began
in San Jose, California at the time of this series dying off to its current
Copyright 1933 by Thomas R. Adams
352
ARIZONA (continued)
3
low level* The time frame for the incidents in Maricopa County was from
January 1982 to mid-March 1982* During this time, the ASFCA was the in¬
vestigative agency* When the sheriff's office took over in mid-March* the
rate of occurrence dropped sharply. There was heavy local media cover¬
age and substantial public reaction* but an unusually low level of panic*
mob syndrome or vigilanteism. Only a few neighborhood watches came
out of it and those operate with the police, not independent,
I have carefully gone through five books about symbols and their meanings*
The circle with a diagonal line from upper right to lower left is used in
only one context that I can find. In international road-sign systems* it
means "prohibited". It is used on l y superimposed on another symbol, to
indicate the prohibited act (e* g,, the symbol superimposed on a left mm
arrow means "left turn prohibited")- Thus, the symbol superimposed on
the Star of David would mean "Jews prohibited", in the context of implied
threat of lethal brutal violence for those who fail to heed the warning* Des¬
pite the obvious Nazi implications* I am inclined to discount the possible
presence of a true cult or terrorist group as such* The woods are full of
tiny groups of drug addicts and drug traffickers who try to use "cultism"
as a way to capitalize on the U.S, Supreme Court's ruling in th$ Native
American Church (Navajo Indian) case, that the use of drugs in religious
ritual is protected by the First Amendment.
ARKANSAS
MARCH - Third Week - Carroll County
Location: Manley West property, near U.S, Highway 62, between Berryville and Green
Forest. The last reported (known) mutilation in Carroll County was about two years
previously. To the west is Benton County* the scene (along with Washington County*
to the south of Benton) of one of the most notable and publicized mutilation waves of
the late 1970’s* In the Manley West case, his $800 polled Hereford cow was found
dead with its tongue* one ear and female genitalia missing. There was no blood in
evidence and Deputy Sheriff George Currie speculated that the blood might have been
drained (ho necropsy performed, apparently). Currie reported that "the nature of the
cuts on the carcass ruled out any possibility of another animal killing the cow. A
Carroll County source who requests anonymity informs us that a horse was found dead
in the same area and apparently under similar circumstances (exact date of this oc¬
currence unknown). (Source: STAR-PROGRESS: Berryville, AR; April I* 1982)*
CALIFORNIA (see next page)
353
4
CALIFORNIA
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
JULY - San Mateo County
In the first week of July, two cows were found dead with "prime cuts" removed with
"surgical precision" - probably by "professional rustlers" as authorities were convin¬
ced the milk cows were killed for their meat. On Thursday night, July Bth, and about
two miles to the north of the cow-butchering site* two horses worth about $18,000
and $3500 were found dead, having been shot 6 to 8 times with a small-caliber fire¬
arm {likely a .22). The horses were found in a,pasture in the San Gregorio area*
near the coast south of San Francisco and near Highway 1. Their tails were cut off
"with a blunt instrument", apparently while the animals were still alive. Two addi¬
tional horses m the pasture were shot and wounded, were "intact", and were expect¬
ed to recover. One of the wounded was a $75,000 horse carrying a foal worth four
times that. A total of $15,000 was being offered as a reward by the JFteninsula Humane
Society in San Mateo County. Kurt Lapham, animal control manager for the Society,
told the SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER (7-13-82) that he "doesn't know why someone
would kill a horse and take its tail. Horse hair is used in quite a few commercial
products, like bows for fiddles, but it's not something you would want so badly you'd
go out and kill a horse. It's not like elephants' tusks".
Members of the controversial "Christ Family” cult, who live along the Arizona/Calif¬
ornia border, had been seen in the area, and though local officials offered a "near-
dismissal" of the cult as potential suspects, residents were still "wary” of the group,
led by one Charles Franklin McHugh, who prefers the moniker "Jesus Christ Lightning
Amen". But the idea of cults-as-culprits were not dismissed entirely. Humane officer
Kurt Lapham told the SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER (7-11-82):
"There has been an alert put out for a religious cult coming down from
Oregon or Northern California. There have been problems in Oregon with
people killing animals and removing testicles and internal organs". Lapham
said members of a cult in the Montara and Granada areas further north of
Half Moon Bay dress in long* hooded, flowing white robes, and one member
of the group was seen near the ranch 10 days ago. But he says he doesn't
know the group's name and no witnesses have linked any members to the
brutal shooting and mutilation of the horses. ..... Lapham's deputy, Sgt.Curt
Ransom, said six to eight small-caliber bullets, "probably from a .22", were
fired into each of the two horses that died. He said their tails were cut off
three inches from their flanks while they were still alive.
On Tuesday* July 13th, three severed dog paws - two of them stuck to mile markers
by the side of a country road - were found in Pescadero, not far from the pasture
354
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (continued)
where the two horses were killed and two wounded. Compared to t
removal of the horses’ tails, the paws were sliced off with sometl
were thought to be from the same dog, about the size of a terrier
tie blunt-instrument
:liing sharp. The paws
The University of California at Davis autopsied the two dead, tail
caliber bullets and fragments were removed, Hus, one horse had a
which the pathologist thought might have happened when the horse
[less horses, ,22
broken vertebra,
fell down a ravine.
(Sources: SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINERfluly ll,1982;July 13,1982), S
CHRONICLE Quly lo, 1982;July 14,1982), SAN JOSE NEWS0uly 14,19$
wire service articles. Credit: Lucius Farish(UFO NEWSCLIPPING
Box 220; Plumerville,Arkansas 72127), Bill Banks, Michael
Richard Toronto, George Wunder)
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA (continued)
AN FRANCISCO
12), and numerous
^SERVICE; Route 1,
Henry Rosenthal,
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER - Solano County - City of Fairfield
Two incidents occurred in which slaughtered animals and apparent
were found in city parks. According to the Vallejo TIMES HERAL®
The most recent discovery came the day after Christmas' wheii horse¬
back riders came upon the carcasses of a German Shepherd aiad two cats
in Rockville Park. A witness to the grisly scene, who asked not to be
identified, said there were burned candles and markings on th* ground
surrounding the animals’ bodies, leading police to believe a cult may be
involved, "Their throats were slit", the witness said, "It was very neat,
not messy in any way. That was what was so sinister about it". In late
November, police found the remains of a slain cat in Allenwood Rark. The
animal's throat was cut and candles and Satanic-like markings were obser¬
ved at the scene, Police are viewing the slayings as "isolated incidents".
Police Sgt, Jerry Shephard told the newspaper that they had no leai
"just the fact there’s been two cases where animals have been sac|:
tic-type incidents", (Source: Vallejo, California TIMES HERALD; Js
Credit: Lucius Farish/UFONS),
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
cult-paraphernalia
of 1-6-83:
i5s or suspects,
rificed inritualis-
lajnuary 6, 1983;
We cannot recommend the Los Angeles area to felines, judging from incidents occur¬
ring in the Laguna Hills area of Orange County (southeast of Los Angeles) and then in
355
6
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (continued)
the Agoura area west of Los Angeles proper- We will begin our 1982 survey of this
area with a look at a series of reports from the Laguna Hills region in December of
1981.
Six cats were killed and partially eaten in December* 1981, by what was thought to be
a coyote or dog* The k illin gs occurred in the midst of housing tracts but the killer was
never seen or heard* A state game and fish officer told the SADDLEBACK VALLEY
NEWS(12-23-81) that he doubted the killer was a coyote, stating: "It sure doesn't
sound like a coyote* They'll generally eat the entire animal or drag off the carcass.
One of my thoughts was it could be a great horned owl or a hawk". He didn't totally
discount the possibility the killer could be a dog or "weird coyote". There was one
incident where children saw a German Shepherd with a cat in its mouth* which it soon
dropped.
For more on similar (and maybe dissimilar) animal deaths and mutilations which began
in Orange County in 1979, see "Mutilation Data Center Report" in STIGMATA no* 17.
Things have been just as bad - worse, actually - west of Los Angeles and the San Fer¬
nando Valley, in the area of Agoura and Westlake Village. One count cites over 150
cats killed in the area over a six-year period, through 1982. In 1982, sixteen "cat mu¬
tilations" had been reported by mid-summer. In August 1982, noted paranormal au¬
thor/investigator D. Scott Rogo explained to us that, although there had been a little
television coverage of the 1982 cases, nothing had been published in the newspapers
about it (that changed in September, as we'U note below). Rogo told Project Stigma, in
a letter dated July 25:
I thought perhaps these mutilations might have something to do with the
cattle (mutilation) mystery, so I met with animal control officials today
on the incidents. It seems that the cats are surgically mutilated, with
genitals and all internal organs removed. Usually the cats are cut in two.
No blood is left at the site of the mutilation,
(author's emphasis)
After advising and consulting with the sheriff s office and other officials, Rogo wrote
in August 1982 that there did not seem to be any doubt but that the cat mutilations
were being conducted by an aberrant human* "some nut". Rogo reported that the cats
are often placed on the doorsteps of their owners. Plus* they were being killed before
being mutilated, Rogo had heard "through the grapevine" that there had been "other
mutilations" in California. An animal control official told him two horses had been mu*
tilated in the Los Angeles area in 1982, but the official would provide no details. Rogo
356
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (continued)
also learned of a report of a classic cow mutilation in the Tehachap:L Mountains (north
of Los Angeles) in 1981; but, again, no details available.
The cat killings and mutilations became increasingly hard-to-ignore,
8, 1982, they finally made the print media- On that date the LOS A
reported that, since 1976* about 200 cats had been killed and disme
Conejo Valley, a fairly isolated suburban area (including Westlake V:
Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Recounted was the most
that time), in which a ballpark groundskeeper at Newbury Park High
remains of a cat on the field. As Scott Rogo had described, the cat
right behind the front legs, and it was a perfect slice job, like a
marked groundskeeper Joe Villarrial)* Two similarly-mutilated cats
Calabasas, 15 miles to the east, and police suspected that the same
responsible for the offenses in both areas* The killings reached an
July and August of 1982, with 25 mutilated cats reported. The incide
difficult to ignore, and public awareness increased*
and on September
tfcELES TIMES
mbered in the
Ullage) west of
Recent case (at
School found the
was "cut in half
:cher did it"(re-
were found in
killer (s) might be
ill-time high in
nts became more
buti
Sgt. Martin Broad of the Los Angeles County Animal Control Depart
that the cats were being disemboweled and cut intfr sections with ft co
skill". Additionally, the TIMES reported:
ment told the TIMES
nsiderable surgical
There is seldom any blood on the cats or signs of struggle, leading police
to conclude that the killings are done elsewhere and the bodies are returned
to the scene and left in plain view, presumably for maximum shock value.
Usually, the victims have been family pets, rather than strays; often they
have a record of never wandering far from home.
the
As public interest accelerated, some residents began to fear that
point, might no longer be satisfied with feline atrocities and turn to
October 1982, a public meeting was called in the Westlake Village a:
to the populace that the cat killings had actually been conducted by
In July of 1982, Sheriffs Deputy Susan Cross of the Malibu Sheriffs
other deputy had been assigned full-time to the cat mutilation case.
Deputy Cross announced that "it was ironic", but that, indeed, the t
1976** were apparently the work of coyotes. She remarked that she
worked since July to track down what they thought was a human cat
She reiterated that the cats had been cut in half or "slit from the tl
ach and disemboweled".
cat killer, at some
human children* hi
tea - to announce
coyotes.
Station and one
In January of 1983
at killings since
and others had
killer/mutilator,
liroat to the storn-*
357
8
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (continued)
**Actually, bizarre cat killings in the Los Angeles area go back as
indicated in the following Associated Press release of October 16, 19
A series of cat killings in the wealthy suburb of Brentwood - pe}:
hands of devil worshippers - has stirred the anger of residents
police. Residents with $100,000 homes in the area near the UC
have been plagued by the cat killings in which the bodies of pet
found either on the front porch or lawn of their owners, tf There
no blood or fur left at the scene”. Police Lt 0 Roy Sails said in
'This does away with the theory that coyotes from the nearby
Mountains have been responsible for these weird deaths”.
rhaps at the
and puzzled
I^A campus
felines are
is absolutely
an interview.
Shnta Monica
Kenneth Williams, district supervisor for the West Los Angeles Animal
Shelter, said some cats "have been mutilated, but we don't know whether
it is ritualistic or some person is mad at the world". He said he knew of
12 such killin gs in the Brentwood area. Sails said ritualistic killings by
some occult group were a possibility, "but it seems unlikely that they would
advertise that they are in the area by leaving the carcasses 1
Sources: DALLAS MORNING NEWS (October 16,1974); LOS ANGELES
CONTRA COSTA TIMES Qanuary 27, 1983). Credits: D. Scott Rogo,
Ginny Cooney (Alive Enterprises), Peter Guttilla via Lucius Parish,
COLORADO
In 1982, mutilation reports from across the country did not come cl
of 1975 - or even 1980. However, reports persisted in some areas
hit historically, such as Northern New Mexico, the Seattle/Tacoma
shall see here. Central Colorado.
On April 1, 1983, KMGH-TV in Denver re-broadcast the mutilation
Strange Harvest", produced, written, directed, edited and narrated
Howe. The documentary had originally aired in May 1980. In the aul
Howe received 18 mutilation reports from Colorado, Wyoming, Utah
summary of Colorado cases follows:
SEPTEMBER 10 - DOUGLAS COUNTY
Location: Glenn Daniels ranch, about 20 miles northeast of Castle
heard barking around 3:00 AM that morning; but apparently no one
if they did they saw nothing. After daybreak, a 1,000-lb*, 15-year-
was found dead and apparently mutilated on the Daniels ranch. The
moved with a clean, generally circular cut. A 12-inch hole(diam.),
far as 1974, as
74:
TIMES (Sept. 8, 1982);
Thomas A* LeVesque,
/UFO NS.
ose to the intensity
i:hat have been hard-
area and, as we
documentary, "A
by Linda Moulton
'irumn of 1982, Linda
and Kansas. A
Rock, Dogs were
got up to check, or
old black Angus cow
udder had been re-
a bo lit 6-8 inches
358
COLORADO (continued)
deep, had been cut under the tail. Daniels said it looked on one part
cn
:hn
though the knife or cutting instrument had slipped while making the i
ining the ground, Daniels said it appeared that the animal had been
by its hind feet as it struggled to get away. Although the tail was
ting Douglas County deputy noted that hair had apparently been pulleji
The animal's eyes and tongue were present. The tongue was protrui
like magpies had pecked on it. Approximately l| inches was missing
the left ear. Daniels said it looked cut off, but a veterinarian he
told him a coyote had chewed on the ear* The veterinarian found tl
was broken, and he felt that either a bull jumped upon her or she ;
cow, breaking her back. Daniels said the old cow was barren, that
bulls in the pasture, and he doubted that this cow would have Jumped
After 3-4 days the carcass began to bloat and began to exhibit moro
results of scavengers. Both the veterinarian and the deputy appeared
unusual elements of the case in favor of a natural-causes explanatio
porter who visited the scene was spooked by it all and apparently
that a cult was involved. She refused to send any information on
mail, fearing she might somehow incur the wrath of the cult.
of the incision as
ound cut* Exam-
dragged downhill
ijitact, an investiga-
d out of the tail,
c^ing and it looked
from the tip of
lied to the scene
t the animal 1 s back
urnped on another
there had been no
d on another one.
of the ravaging
to downplay the
n. A newspaper re¬
nte convinced
case through the
becat
the
rid
wa:3
SEPTEMBER 16 - EL PASO COUNTY
Location: Dzuris ranch near Calhan, about 30 miles east of Coloracji
tilation-in-daylight* It was a pretty, sunny day when Bill and Linda
their herd of cattle around noon (they had some cows that were a bo
was well. They had lunch at the house then spent the rest of the
outside near the house, neither seeing or hearing anything out-of-th
5:00 PM, Mr. Dzuris left in his semi-truck to pick up a load of ha
mile west of the ranch driveway, he saw a cow laying about 100-150
They had checked that area around noon and there had been nothing
on but stopped at the next telephone and asked his wife to go out ai
he saw* He couldn't tell if it was calving - or dead* The latter
had been cut off and blood still dripped from some of the wounds.
Linda Moulton Howe: 1f I was horrified at the thought of what could
light when we had checked the cows only a few hours before 11 * But
just the shock-of-the-new; the Dzurises had two heifers mutilated
feet apart (and about a mile from the 1982 site) with their recturns
time, a 6-year-old female Hereford-Angus cross-breed was laying
Although the face, mouth and head were undisturbed, El feso Countjy
D, R, Kelsey noted that some blood and fluid appeared to have dri]
area. Approximately half of the animal's udder had been removed
("kind of a square shape, cut with a knife clean and smooth")* Two
had been cut cleanly across about one inch from the bag. The recta!
in
9
o Springs - a mu-
Dzuris checked
ut to calve). All
;ernoon working
e-ordinary. Around
y. About one-half
yards oft the road,
there. Dzuris went
check the animal
the case* E&rts
Mrs, Dzuris told
this in broad day-
f|ier shock was not
1979 - found 100
"cored out". This
on its right side*
Sheriff's Deputy
off of the head
Lth a clean vertical
remaining teats
1 area had been cut
pj>ed
with a
359
K>
COLORADO (continued)
out in a vertical oval or egg-shaped wound about a foot wide and 6-8 inches deep; the
tail remained intact. Deputy Kelsey noted that "it would seem that these areas were
cut by some type of instrument rather than being torn away by some type of animal".
Mrs. Eteuris reported that the animal's hair appeared to have been rubbed off on the
front of the back legs near the hooves. When Dznris dragged the cow away from the
site a few days later* all the hair came off on the underside of the animal as it was
pulled along. And, as we will note below, this was not the last 1982 case wherein half
of the udder would reportedly be removed.
SEPTEMBER 13 - EL PASO COUNTY
Along the same road near which the Dzurises would find their cow on the 16th f three
people were caught-in-the-act while butchering a cow - at least in this case a succulent
hindquarter of beef would appear to have motivated the culprits. A ranch foreman, Bob
Heath, accompanied by his daughter, was repairing a windmill when he noticed that
cattle in a nearby pasture appeared disturbed. A white Chevrolet was on the land, which
belonged to the Bennett Ranch, and Heath felt it was out-of-place there. Heath told re¬
porters Jean Rasner and Mont Gaddy of the RANCHLAND FARM NEWS (Simla, Colorado;
September 16, 1982):
"From our point at the windmill, we were out of sight of the pickup. We
decided to go take a look and saw the pickup drive away. When we got
closer, we saw two people working on something in the pasture. At first
we thought they'd killed an antelope or something, but when we got closer
to the gate, we saw a dead steer and two men lying on either side of it
like they were trying to hide from us". Heath said his first reaction was
to draw out his rifle, but his daughter convinced him to go for help. At
that point they went to the E^t Dawson residence, where Dawson notified
authorities. Heath and his daughter then circled around back toward the
east side of the pasture to head off the suspects if they tried to escape
in that direction, while Dawson headed up the road toward the suspects.
Dawson described the ensuing action: "When they saw me coming, they
took off and headed toward me (westbound) on Sweet Road. They went by
so fast I couldn't see the license plate number, so I wheeled around and
took off after them. I really had my Subaru humpin' trying to catch up
with them. In fact I didn't think I was going to, but they had to slow up
quite a bit at the bend going into Bsyton. I know the road a little better
and could keep my foot in it more, so that's where I finally got close e-
nough to get their license plate number.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Department arrested the three people involved not faraway,
with the left hindquarter of the steer in the pickup. When interrupted by Heath, they were
360
COLORADO (continued)
ri
in the process of removing a front quarter- The cutting was done very adroitly and it
was unclear just how the steer was killed, though the wife of the steer’s owner pointed
out an apparent bullet hole in the steer’s belly. The suspects that were arrested were:
Gerd D. Arnold, age 36; Michael Badial, 37 and Martha Ann Muehl, 38. All three
eventually posted bond.
SEPTEMBER 29 - EL PASO COUNTY
A Mrs. Kobilan is Bill Dzuris's sister (see Sept. 16) and she lives on a ranch in the
same general area. She was up late one night in mid-September when she heard the
sound of a helicopter outside* She walked out and around the balcony which completely
encircles the house* She saw nothing but could still hear what seemed to be a helicop¬
ter, with a sound so low that she could "hear the wind through the props"; still noth¬
ing but stars could be seen in the clear sky. She felt afraid, and when her dog growl¬
ed and walked away from her back into the house, she followed. She was suspicious,
though, and she reported the apparent chopper-without-lights to the sheriff’s office.
Mrs. Kobilan told Linda Moulton Howe that this was not the first time in recent weeks
when she has heard a chopper but been unable to see it. Then, around 3:00 AM on the
morning of September 29th, she was sitting up against a heating pad in an attempt to
alleviate a back ache when she not only heard a helicopter, but this time she could see
it out her window - a clear yellow light, flying in low from the bluffs north of Peyton
toward the Larry Mikita ranch (see below). She stepped outside in time to watch it fly
out of sight fcnd hearing).
The next morning, Larry Mikita found one of his cows, a six-year-old, down in an area
of wheat stubble on his ranch. Mikita said the straw around the head of the animal ap¬
peared trampled down. He felt that someone had been on their knees working on the
cow's head. The cow lay on its left side, with no signs of a struggle. Mikita told Lin¬
da Howe: ’"You could see her hoof print in the soil right next to her hoof - she layed
right down there with no reflexes after she died - like lightning hit her". The right ear
bad been removed at the scalp, in a "jagged circle". There was blood inside the ear
cavity. The right eye had also been removed along with part of the hide around it; a-
gain, there was blood in the eye socket. The lips and hide on the right side of the face
had been removed in a fashion now familiar, exposing the jaw and teeth. The tongue
was cut off ("a vertical cut straight up and down"), leaving about three inches remain¬
ing. Teeth were removed from the top and bottom on the exposed side, leaving only
back teeth showing. Aside from the blood in the ear and eye cavities, there was very
little in evidence, just a tiny amount on the ground. The rear portion of the animal had
not been disturbed, in contrast to the Dzuris case (above)- That night, Mikita went back
to the site and saw coyotes about 200 feet from the carcass; but they did not come any
closer. In fact, as of Monday, October 4th, the coyotes still had not disturbed the car¬
cass, Mikita said the only access to that pasture (by vehicle, anyway) requires passage
past his house. Mikita said he declined to notify the sheriff's department because (he
361
12
COLORADO (continued)
told the RANCHLAND FARM NEWS): "It wouldn’t have done any gooc".
he
W)
thi*
re
EARLY OCTOBER - EL PASO COUNTY
Location: near Rush, eastern part of county; Don Bingham (pseudonym.
Don and his brother Paul (pseudonym) both suffered mutilations in tl
fied by " perfectly clean, circular cuts". In 1978 another was found
missing from its flank and its head lying in a "crazy position". The
1982 Don found a three-or-four-year-old cow down in an unusual pos
Don felt - she had been running or trotting and been "zapped" to the:
had been in a pasture on the north side of a fence. But when found
south side of the fence, as though she had thrown herself against
torn loose with the cow falling to the other side. Her back legs we:
the front legs underneath, in an erect "sitting up" position. Bingham
cow had been dead for 3-4 days and was probably killed around Octo
turn and one ear were missing. The ear had been taken from right
no surrounding hide missing. A strip of flesh was missing from acrl
ham didn’t check the mouth for the teeth and tongue and he didn’t
to see if the udder was present. Around 3:00 AM on one of the mo:
period (not certain that it was the night of death), a man baling hay
bright, mercury-vapor-like light moving at or near ground level thr<
At the time he thought someone was checking the well when he later
no well in that pasture.
tii
mine
OCTOBER 27 - WASHINGTON COUNTY
Location: a ranch near Lindon. Linda Moulton Howe learned that a
mutilated on the night of October 26-27, although the horse had beei(i
previous day. The carcass was found 2^ miles from a ranch house,
missing flush with the head. An oblong 2-to-3-inch-wide area of hid
around the vagina. A tiny blood spot was noted on the right shoulder
(dewclaws) were cleanly cut off of the legs; the one on the right fro
present. On the 29th a few drops of what looked like blood appeared
needle-size spots on the animal's back, just about the time bloat be
No scavenging animals had disturbed the carcass during the first fe
LATE OCTOBER - HUERFANO COUNTY
Animal Mutilation Probe Director David Perkins reports that a rancty
in south-central Colorado, suffered his third mutilation since 1975.
penis had been removed, leaving a twelve-inch oval wound. One ear
a "clean knife cut", and the anal area had been "cored out" to a de
The steer died on the same weekend during which townspeople in Ga
hovering lights over the area of the victim's ranch for three nights
) ranch. In 1975
ir herds, typi-
ith a strip of hide
n, on October 11,
ition, as though -
ground. The cow
!3he was on the
gate and it had
out behind her,
estimated that the
ber 7th. The rec-
kt the ear hole, with
oss the jaw. Bing-
the carcass over
gs during this
for Bingham saw a
ough the pasture,
realized there was
ifnare was killed and
alive and well the
Both ears were
g was taken from
Three "chestnuts?'
>|nt leg was still
on about 5 or 6
gan to be evident,
days after death.
w
ier near Gardner,
The year-old steer's
was severed with
pth of 18 inches,
rdner saw bright
in a row. One night.
362
COLORADO (continued)
13
the wife of a local law enforcement officer was in her kitchen when she suddenly felt
she was ,f being watched” She looked out the window and saw what she described as a
"saucer-shaped" object, with red, blue and green lights, moving erratically over the
area west and south of Greenhorn fteak (the highest point in the Wet Mountains) - the
same area in which the mute-victim's ranch is located. The witness was "frightened"
by the sight.
NOVEMBER 22 - WELD COUNTY
Location: the Faulkner (pseudonym, name on file) ranch, near the Wyoming border. Ran¬
cher Faulkner and his sons check their pastures every other day. When they checked on
Saturday, November 20th, nothing was amiss* At mid-morning on Monday the 22nd, a
9-year-old Charolais cow, weighing about 1500 lbs* and valued at a dollar-a-pound, was
found dead near a trail road leading to a water tank. This was a cow that had been
shown at a number of breed shows and fairs and it could easily have been approached
by people. Mr. Faulkner covered the carcass with a plastic tarpaulin and weighted down
the edges to protect from predator damage (assuming that there would have been any)
before he could call someone to the site. A Weld County Sheriffs deputy investigated
the site and, on November 23rd, an area veterinarian (who requests anonymity) perform¬
ed a necropsy at the site. About half of the animal's udder had been cut away (see
Dzuris case above). The right section of the udder was missing and two teats on the
left side of the udder were missing. The vulvular area had been excised ^bout 5 inches
into the pelvis), leaving the rectum intact* There was a hole in the animal's forehead
approximately 2mm in diameter tapering to 1mm in diameter on the inside of the cran¬
ium. One of the eyeballs was missing and the veterinarian later told Linda Howe that
is was the removal of this item and the precise fashion in which it was done that a-
mazed him most of all, certifying - at least to his own satisfaction - that this was an
out-of-the-ordinary event. He found evidence of some hemmorrhage in the pia mater
membrane as though, he felt, something was injected into the brain. His best guess as
a cause of death, in fact, was "possible injection of material into brain with unknown
object without causing cerebral trauma". The brain was removed for laboratory analy¬
sis but apparently no meaningful results were obtained. As of December i$th f no coy¬
otes had touched the remains of the carcass.
Credits: David Perkins, Shirley Rickard, Martha Thompson - and a very special thanks
tp Linda Moulton Howe for the majority of our Colorado data.
IOWA
FEBRUARY THROUGH APRIL - POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
Location: Carter Lake area, suburban Omaha, Nebraska. Four dogs were found dead at
an intersection on February 15th and one dog was found on April 14th - with bums, stab
wounds and a metal rod imbedded in one carcass* All five dogs were large breeds* In
363
14
IOWA (continued)
the last week of April, a cat was found with its head apparently twi
legs twisted or torn off. An Omaha Humane Society official said the
dogs matched those of dogs reported missing from around the Omaha
tunate series of episodes - but most likely not linked with the "class i<
scenario. (Source: LINCOLN (NB) JOURNAL, 5-1-82; Credit - Ray W. B
KANSAS
sited off and three
description of the
area. An unfor-
ic mutilation"
oeche).
DECEMBER 11 - COWLEY COUNTY
Location: Orville Bair ranch near Burden (Cowley County is southeast
that Saturday morning, Bair found a 550-lb.» 7-8-month-old bull calf
ure. One eyeball and one ear were missing, taken cleanly. The hide
face had been cut away, and a "good portion" of the tongue was mis^
area and the genitals had been excised. It was suspected that the bl
ed, but this was concluded as a result of the lack of blood or evide]
autopsy was performed. A paramedic who lives nearby come to the
how "surgical" the wounds looked. Deputy Craig King of the sheriff*
attempted to take photographs, but his camera would not function,
ma that normally coyotes would be expected to "start in" on the can
The carcass was fed upon, but it did not begin until "several days
entered the pasture and passed about 100 yards from the calf, but
near the carcass. It was quail season at that time and it was theor
have driven into the pasture.
There were indications of additional mutilation activity in central and
sas; hit few if any details have emerged.
of Wichita), On
dead in his past-
on one side of the
lug. The rectal
had been drain-
e of bleeding; no
Site and exclaimed
office arrived and
r told Project Stig-
dass right away,
later. Jeep tracks
re were no tracks
id that hunters may
ood
no
Bat
the;
west-central Kan-
(Sources: COWLEY COUNTY REPORTER, December 16, 1982. Credits: Bster Guttilla via
Lucius Farish (UFO Newsclipping Service;Humerville,Arkansas); Orville Bair; Linda
Moulton Howe)
NEBRASKA
ill
JUNE (first half) - CHASE COUNTY
Two Hereford heifers were found in a grass pasture - the udder, vut
missing from both carcasses. There were no tracks nor any blood
site. The sheriff would not respond, would not even come out to Inve;
he didn't want to "get involved" (ed. comment: with that kind of milque
mem, it’s a good thing that Chase County is sparsely populated).
Boeche; Fortean Research Center; Lincoln, Nebraska).
and anus were
evidence at either
stigate, claiming
toast law enforce-
Ray W.
(Source
364
NEBRASKA (continued)
DECEMBER - MADISON COUNTY
Location: Jim Lehman farm* north of Norfolk- On Friday, December
of a 750-lb., 7-month-old purebred Simmenlal heifer was found alonj
U.S. Highway 81. Deputy Sheriff Darrell Grebe reported that both e
The ear tags had been removed, with one on the ground and one L
leg- The right front leg had been "severed cleanly”, according to
and flesh up the right side from where the leg had been to the face
excised. And a 9-inch, half-moon cut was noted on the right flank,
ported that there was no trace of scavengers at the site, plus very
blood or bleeding. While at the scene. Grebe saw a dog approach a:
cass and leave without touching it. Grebe told the Norfolk, Nebraska
(December 15, 1982) that "it appeared the animal was cut with a ve
that there was no indication that it had been shot"* Grebe called the
usual, very unusual"* Farmer Lehman was "kind of sick" at losing
"one of my best purebred calves". (Sources: Ray W. Boeche; Forte.
Lincoln, Nebraska - Carol Werkmeister; Study on Animal Mutilation
IS
3rd, the carcass
g a fence line near
Ars were missing,
on the right hind
hman, plus hide
seemed to have been
Deputy Grebe re-
little evidence of
sniff at the car-
DAILY NEWS
Fy sharp knife and
whole event "un-
the $1,000 animal.
Research Center;
s; Madison, NB)
yiag
Le
nd
an
In May of 1982 there were persistent rumors of human mutilations
coin. Most commonly the story would claim that young boys had bee3
ted in public restrooms - but there was never any evidence whatsoe
were anything more than just that. In mid-autumn, a Texas truck
load of livestock to a facility in Lincoln, While unloading, he over!
other people discussing the livestock mutilations which had been goii
and the impression gained was that the cases under discussion were
These cases may have gone unreported, officially, which may expla
have surfaced. (Sources: Ray W. Boeche; Tommy Roy Blann, Lewisvilji
NEW MEXICO
It comes as no real surprise that the majority of the 1982 New Mex|ii
ports emanated from in or near Rio Arriba County - one of the mo
plagued areas in the country. Our information encompasses 13 casei
co, all (with one exception) from the northern quarter of the state.
(1) JANUARY - RIO ARRIBA COUNTY
Eight miles north of the Rio Arriba town of Espanola, the carcass
male Hereford was discovered. The rectum and the tongue had been
heart was reportedly missing. The were two "needle marks" on the
The animal had been seen alive on Friday, the 8th, and was found
the next day. State Police Officer Gabe Valdez investigated on the H
|n and around Lin-
u genitally mut Ha¬
ver that the rumors
Iver delivered a
rd a number of
i|ig on in that area,
of recent vintage,
ined why no details
e, Texas)
diri
hea
co mutilation re-
it consistently mute-
from New Mexi-
pf a 5-year-old fe-
eut out and the
lower abdomen,
dead and mutilated
(Ith*
365
16
NEW MEXICO (continued)
(2) & (3) MARCH - SANDOVAL COUNTY
Location: On and near the southern end of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation between
the communities of Cuba and Counselor, and just south of the Rio Arriba County line.
On March 21, two 5-year-old bulla owned by the Jicarilla Apache tribe were found a
quarter-mile apart, dead and mutilated. The bulls, each weighing over 1200 pounds,
were thought to have been dead for five or six days. On each, it appeared that the
reproductive organs had been removed with a sharp instrument, Ihxt of the wound on
one of the animals looked burnt or singed. Tribal ranch caretaker Travis Chavez dis¬
covered the animals and called the State Police. Reporter Mary Frei of the ALBUQUER¬
QUE JOURNAL wrote that (March 31, 1982):
..this was a first for State Police officer Michael Avilucea of Cuba, who
wrote the investigative report, Avilucea recalled that Chavez described the
bulls as two of the healthiest in the herd, and although most of the bulls
are docile, one of the mutilation victims would have been extremely diffi¬
cult to catch, "Each one's got an individual temper and this particular bull,
1 guess you might say, he's the king of the roost", Avilucea said. Avilucea
said he believes that the bulls had "an unnatural death" and speculated that
an airborne object must have picked them up and later dropped them to the
ground. The backs of both bulls were broken, and they were found about a
half-mile apart lying partially on their bellies, he said. One of the bulls
was in an arroyo, and there were no animal tracks leading to the carcass.
Adding to the mystery is that in order to get to the arroyo, the bull would
have had to cross another arroyo with a vertical 12-to-15-foot embankment,
Avilucea said he has received reports of low-flying aircraft and, as he put
iiv Ytfgfats" in the area around the time the bulls were mutilated,
(4) MAY - COLFAX COUNTY
Around the first of the mouth, a dead 10-year-old cow was found on a ranch near the
Colorado line in northeastern New Mexico (NE of Raton). The cow lay on its left side,
about 300 feet from a water tank and windmill. According to a Colfax County Sheriff's
office report, the cow was "torn open" around the udder area, but all the teats were
still present. There was a hole in the right underarm from which blood exited when the
cow was turned over. Foam was found near the carcass on ground slightly wet from a
light snow. Investigation disclosed that the cow had apparently walked in a 100-foot cir¬
cle (it was not specified whether this 100-foot measurement denoted radius, diameter
or circumference; perhaps diameter) - seemingly depositing "foam" from its mouth all
along the circular track before finally falling over. Not an obviously "classic" case;
natural causes must be considered to explain the evidence.
366
NEW MEXICO (continued)
17
(5) MAY - RIO ARRIBA COUNTY
Victim: a six-year-old pregnant cow discovered on May 9th at mid-day. Some would say
the real "victim 11 was the cow's owner, Manuel Go me z* Since June of 1975, the Gomez
family herd had suffered 9 mutilations, including the one found on May 9th (five cows,
two bulls, one heifer, one horse). Probably no other rancher in the country has been
so unfortunate in terms of mutilation-victimization. There seems little that the Dulce
resident can do beyond counting his herd and asking "Why? T \ The cow found on the 9th
was thought to have died more than 24 hours previously. The udder and the tongue were
missing, as was part of a lip; all removals appeared to be the result of "clean-cutting"
There was no blood on the cuts or around the carcass. The rectum was cut into. The
womb remained intact though part of the fetal calf could be seen inside. On the bottom
of the right jaw was a banana-shaped "scrape" clear to the bone, and a 2-inch-diameter
hole was noted under a back leg, Gomez, whose grandfather homesteaded the family
ranch in 1877, has over 150 cows in his herd. But the mute-losses hurt. He lamented
to Mary Frei of the ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL (May 31, 1982):
"We don't know why they're hitting me. It has to be somebody that has a
money and that doesn't come from the ground. They pick them up from
the air".
Reporter Frei wrote that:
Last year Gomez 1 insurance company canceled its policy after he reported
the mutilated horse and his fourth mutilated cow, which were both discovered
on June 14, "That insurance company was supposed to be a helping hand to
the farmer and rancher", Gomez remarked. He found insurance elsewhere
but now pays a higher premium. And he's reluctant to report the latest mu¬
tilation. "It's getting to the point where I won't be able to get any insurance",
he said. "It's getting serious".
On several occasions in weeks preceding the mutilation, "The Light" was seen in the
sky over Dulce. Though most often reported with an orange hue, it has also been red,
white, even blue, and it frequently comes from the northeast and veers west. Many
Dulce residents have seen and have become familiar with the sight, and it is often seen
as a precurser to a mutilation.
(6) MAY - SANDOVAL COUNTY
Location: near the sites of cases 2 and 3 - between Cuba and Counselor at the southern
end of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation, on the ranch of Verdelia Gutierrez and her
sons. A cow discovered on May 25th, and thought to have been killed and mutilated on
the 24th, was missing its reproductive organs (removed with a "sharp, surgical-like
367
T8
NEW MEXICO (continued)
instrument”). The right front leg was reported to be broken and bruised. The Gutierrez
herd would be struck again - see case no. 10.
(?) MAY - SAN JUAN COUNTY
On the evening of Friday, May 28, the carcass of a mutilated 6-year-old cow was found
on the Truby ranch in the Bloomfield-Aztec area. The cow was thought to have died
around the 24th or 26th of the month. Rancher Truby'e wife saw a helicopter in the
area on the 24th and another woman saw a bright green helicopter over the Truby ranch
on the early morning of the 25th, A head count on the 28th indicated that one cow was
missing, thus precipitating the search that turned up the carcass in a wash or guiley,
after it had apparently slipped down a nine-foot embankment. Beyond that, there were
no signs of a struggle. It was noted that, although the animal was thought to have died
several days previously, no scavengers had touched it. Dog and coyote tracks were
found in the area, but none came closer than 6 feet from the carcass. The cow's tongue
was missing, cut off deep inside the mouth, and all hide and hair had been removed
from a section of the bottom left jaw. The rest of the animal remained intact, Sgt. How¬
ard Donaldson of the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office and New Mexico livestock inspect¬
or Mel Miller investigated. They brought along two employees of the El Rase Natural
Gas Company, with their geiger counter. They noted abnormally high radiation readings
from just around the carcass and extending out to the left for about 10 feet. The highest
reading, however, was detected at the cow's mutilated lower jaw. Plus, prints of a
large shoe or very flat-heeled boot were found in the sand near the animal's head, ac¬
cording to livestock investigator Miller- The victim cow was a healthy animal with a
four-month-old calf, reported ranchers Robert Truby, Sr, and Robert Truby, Jr. The
elder Truby exclaimed that: "There’s a bunch of magpies in this area that always go to
the dead stock, and they didn’t go to (this one). I ! ve been around cattle all my life, and
I'm 66 years old. I've never seen anything like it. It was a real eerie thing. It's some¬
thing we don't understand. Or else we do understand and don't want to come out with
it”. Sgt. Donaldson commented: "Something that we can’t explain went on".
(8) k (9) JUNE - RIO ARRIBA COUNTY
Rancher Joe Garcia found two cows dead in the Chama area. They may have been dead
as much as 10 days before being discovered, and were too decomposed for an autopsy.
However, State Police Officer Gabe Valdez felt they might have been genuine mutilations,
as hide around the jaws had seemingly been cut away cleanly,
GO) JUNE - SANDOVAL COUNTY
The herd of Verdelia Gutierrez and her sons lost another member (see case no. 6), Vir¬
tually every year around June 14-15, a mutilation is discovered in Rio Arriba or the
surrounding counties (Manuel Gomez of Dulce has been the victim on this date several
times), A 3-year-old Gutierrez cow was found on June 15th; it had apparently been killed
368
T9
NEW MEXICO (continued)
and mutilated on the night of the 14th-15th. The previous morning, a dark green heli¬
copter was spotted by the Gutierrrez boys, as the chopper flew low over the ranch.
The cow was found to be missing its uterus, tongue and one eye* One or more ribs
were broken* Officer Gabe Valdez thinks this may have occurred as the animal was
dropped from the air* The carcass was found soon enough to have been one of the fresh¬
est to turn up in several years, so a veterinarian from Farmington was called in to
examine the animal* The vet found the heart very "mushy", much to his surprise* Al¬
though the blood was present, the vet was puzzled over its failure to clot properly* But
most puzzling to the veterinarian was the removal of the eyeball, as he was unable to
tinderstand how it was done in such a precise manner (sound familar? See Colorado,
November 22).
01) JUNE - RIO ARRIBA COUNTY
Manuel Gomez of Dulce inspected his herd on June 28 and found his tenth mutilated ani¬
mal since mid-1976 - and his second of 1982 (see case no* 5)* The 5-year-old cow was
seen alive on Friday, June 25, and Gomez believed it was mutilated that night. The
tongue, upper lip and half of the udder (see Colorado and Utah/Wyoming) were removed
in "the usual way". Discussing the mutilations with Manuel Gomez, Mary Frei of the
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL reported (May 31, 1982):
The older Gomez is a soft-spoken man until the subject of former FBI agent
Ken Rommel's 1980 mutilation investigation comes up. Rommel concluded that
natural predators mutilated already-dead cows* "Mr* Rommel never did come
out here to talk to me", said Gomez with a touch of bitterness in his voice*
"Of course, during the year that he was in, there were no mutilations in this
part of the country. They were mutilating up in Canada. We've been in the
ranching business for a long time, and we know the difference between a mu¬
tilation and a cow that has been killed by a predator. We know the difference,
and any animal that we find dead and hasn't been touched by predators, we
know that it was a mutilation. Because they sense something on the carcass,
and they won't eat it".
(12) AUGUST - CATRON COUNTY
A departure - a mutilation report from any area other than northern and NW New Mexi¬
co, Stare Police sources notified Officer Gabe Valdez in Dulce that a mutilated cow was
discovered around August 10 in the Quemado area, but no details have been forthcoming*
(13) AUGUST - RID ARRIBA COUNTY
A rancher who had pre viously been struck in 1978 found a 4-year-old female Charolais
west of Dulce on August 15th* The tongue and udder had been taken; the rectum had been
369
20
NEW MEXICO (continued)
"cored out and two teeth were missing from the mouth. The cow was thought to have
been dead for perhaps two days*
(Sources: ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL; 3-31-82, 5-31-82, 6-19-82, 6-30-82; Farmington,
New Mexico DAILY TIMES; 6-2-82; Aztec, NM, INDEPENDENT-REVIEW, 6-10-82 -
Credit: Mary Frei, Gabe Valdez, Gary Lambert)
NORTH CAROLINA
A series of animal mutilations in Rowan County, between Greensboro and Charlotte,
have come to the attention of Bonnie Smith and other members of the Rowan County
Humane Society. In an interview with Mrs, Smith, the county-seat newspaper, the
SALISBURY POST, revealed in January 1983 that:
Two animals were mutilated within a one-mile area of Woodleaf in June
and July and another was injured on Old Concord Road. A bull owned by
Jim Graham, state agricultural commissioner, and a goat were mutilated
around the end of November. On January 12 (1983), the skinned carcass of
a poodle was found on Crescent Road in eastern Rowan.... Mrs* Smith said
the animals couldn’t have been killed by other wild animals because of the
way they were found and injured. Of the animals in Woodleaf, a bull was
found with its ear cut off and genitals mutilated and a calf was found with
an ear and eye missing. The goat’s throat was cut and Graham’s bull
was butchered in a field. In ail cases, the incisions were clean, as if
made with a scalpel. Mrs, Smith said all except the calf were tame, hand-
raised pets, ...Mrs. Smith said it’s hard to tell how many other mutila¬
tions might have occurred, because people don’t talk about it. She found out
about some other cases by talking to veterinarians. A couple of years ago,
she found six or eight white rabbits skinned, with carcasses and skins
stacked in two piles, in woods behind her house.
..Don Barbee, Woodleaf postmaster, said someone cut an ear and an eye
out of a bull he owned in June. "No, it was definitely not killed for the meat?',
Barbee said. 'It didn’t make sense to me at all. It was a clean cut, like
with a sharp knife". Mrs, Truett Smith of Old Concord Road, whose family
owned the 1100-lb. bull mutilated at their home in June, said the animal was
definitely not killed for the meat. (The sheriff's office) thought it might be
some cult, because of the organs that were removed"...
Bonnie Smith of the humane society told Project Stigma that the Smith bull was found near
the house, tied between trees, and nearby were two cigarette butts - different brands.
370
NORTH CAROLINA (continued)
No one in the family smoked those brands. But the cuts on the bull
clean and bloodless - Just bo evidence of blood or bleeding. Mrs* Si
us that in mid-July 1982, and near the site of the Barbee mutilation
was found with one ear apparently having been cut off.
21
were remarkably
[pith also informs
a week-old calf
(Source: Salisbury, NC, POST, January 24,1983,
(UfO Newsclipping Service), Bonnie Smith)
NORTH DAKOTA
LATE MARCH - DIVIDE COUNTY - NEAR WILDROSE
On the night of Friday, March 26 or the early morning of Saturday,
was launched on the cattle herd of Raymond Skor. According to the
kota JOURNAL of March 31, 1982:
Credit: Peter Guttilla via Lucius Parish
the 27th, an attack
Crosby, North Da¬
te
;th
Killed directly in the attack were one milk cow and one calf, wj
calves died, apparently from emotional stress created by the ati
just being delivered at the time. Nine other cows required sutuifi
pie wounds, keeping a veterinarian busy for seven hours Saturda.
eral government trappers visited the scene Monday, and decided
available appeared to be canine. But the wounds did not appear
would be expected in an attack by a dog. Most of the cuts were
and very deep - appearing to have been caused by an animal wil
long and very sharp tooth, M They sliced just like a knife, shaviihj
hair next to the wound", Mrs, Skor explained in a telrphone int^:
Skor said there were at least 100 beef animals in the pole barn
and probably a few pigs, as well. Snow covers the fence for the!
the pigs have been able to come and go, and they may have mo 1
barn for shelter. The possibility of human vandalism seems eve
ly, because there was severe blizzard conditions that evening
her husband checked the barn at 10:30 Friday evening and all wa[
covered the carnage about 6:30 the next morning, "The cows se«
a pretty good job of protecting their calves", she noted.
Raymond Skor told Project Stigma in mid-1983 that no additional atta|i
occurred again to his herd nor to anyone else's in the area, to his
mer 4 miles to the east did find a horse that apparently died on thak
end in 1982, but indications were that the animal died of natural cam
ted on the "single claw theory” as presented to him by one of the gy
The trapper asked Skor to visualize an animal the size of a bear or
Iiile two other
tack. One was
es for multi-
y.. .Two fed-
the footprints
be what
single slashes,
a single, very
g some of the
rview. Mrs.
at the time,
pig pen, so
iired into the
n more unlike-
lAcs. Skor says
s well. He dis-
fem to have done
cks of this nature
knowledge- One far-
same March week-
ses, Skor elabora-
vernment trappers,
maybe a bear it*
371
22
NORTH DAKOTA (continued)
self * which had somehow lost all but one claw on a foot (perhaps in a trap) and it
seemed to the trapper that this one claw could have been used in the livestock attack,
judging by the appearance of the wounds, (Source: CROSBY JOURNAL* 3-31-82. Credit:
Lucius Farish (UFO Newsclipping Service); Raymond Skor),
SOUTH DAKOTA
LATE OCTOBER-EARLY NOVEMBER - MINNEHAHA CO,,CITY OF SIOUX FALLS
Four dogs were found killed and mutilated in Sioux Falls within a week. The police de¬
partment was aroused enough to assign four men - one per dog - to the case:
(1) Saturday, October 30 - a small dog, skinned, carcass left behind,
(2) Sunday, October 31 - a golden retriever* only described as "badly mutilated".
(3) Monday, November 1 - a doberman, also "badly mutilated",
(4) Thursday* November 4 - a small animal, found skinned and headless near railroad
tracks; possibly a dog but identity uncertain.
In cases 2 and 3* the dogs were taken from their home kennels and were found dead in
the attached garage of houses one block (case 3) and two blocks (case 2) away. In case
2 the car in the garage was also described as "heavily damaged" (?)(Fortunately it wasn't
described as "badly mutilated"). Laboratory reports indicated that dogs 2 & 3 were not
poisoned or tranquillized. A turquoise necklace was found at the scene along with one of
the carcasses, A photo of the necklace appeared in area newspapers as the police hoped
someone would recognize it and offer information. Authorities discussed the possibility
of a "cult connection", although detective captain Don Skadsen stated: "...it's my per¬
sonal opinion at this time, based on the circumstances, based on the nature of the
wounds and how the mutilations occurred,.,! don't personally feel that it's that type of
thing, any type of a cult situation", (Sources: Mitchell, South Dakota, DAILY REPUBLIC,
November 2 and 6, 1982, Credit: Lucius Farish, UFO Newsclipping Service),
TEXAS
OCTOBER 20 - DUVAL COUNTY - NEAR SAN DIEGO
Some ranch workers found the remains of a six-year-old calf between a mile and two
miles from a ranch house on October 20th, It was suspected that the calf died on about
the 18th. Early on the 18th* ranch hands left hay at the site and there was nothing amiss
there. The gate into the pasture was locked and the site was a mile beyond the gate.
The calf's head and tail both appeared to have been cleanly severed from the body and
both were missing. There was a cut or incision from where the tail had been cut away
all the way up to the neck and, as far as could be discerned, all the internal viscera
372
TEXAS (continued)
fye
IC
was also missing. There was no blood or evidence of bleeding. A
metal Lay on the ground just where the calf s head should be and a
be seen on portions of the carcass. An empty sardine can lay on ti
feet from the piece of "tin** and a jawbone lay about 4 feet away,
was suspected of being a jawbone of that particular animal. With temj
Texas in the mid-80's, the carcase appeared to exude a normal or
decomposition. Other cows fed on the nearby hay; buzzards were in
seemed that very few scavengers were interested in the calf-husk t
incident was reported to the sheriff’s office but the sheriff "couldn'
cording to Project Stigma's anonymous informant, and it was also
livestock association investigator ’’would be of no help". A number
have occurred in the Duval-Jim Hogg-Brooks Counties region (as wel]
the counties bordering the Rio Grande), with most occurring in the
23
piece of "tin 11 sheet-
white powder could
ground about 12
is not known if it
iberatures in South
expected odor of
the area but it
:(iat remained. The
care less", ac-
It that a local
of cattle mutilations
as to the south, in
mid-1970's.
fe
On the ranch where the recent live stock-death occurred and in the
unidentified "lion-like" animal had been spotted frequently. It had a
body was a reddish color. One witness, driving at night, saw what
red reflectors, as illuminated in her headlights, by the side of the
closer, she realized they were the eyes of a cat-like animal, A nui
which had been killed and/or "mutilated" and/or eaten in the area
been victims of the "mystery cat", and scratches on some horses
same animal,
UTAH - WYOMING
These states are considered together because the only known mutilajt
state in 1982 occurred in an area along the border between the two,
ty, Wyoming and Daggett County, Utah. All of the known mutilation^
September 20 or 21 and October 24, 1982. We have details on eight
cer has said that there were ten in the area. Over three dozen eas
the three-county area (including Uinta County, Wyoming) since (and
occurred in 1975, with 16 in Uinta County that year, WeTl outline tl
below:
(1) Jordan O'Brien ranch (all names of ranchers are pseudonyms). 1
on September 22 was thought to have been mutilated on the 20th or
the udder, on the left side, had been cut off (see Dzuris and Faulkijn
rado and New Mexico case no. 11), The right ear was cut off flush
half the left ear was excised. A tag that had been on one of the
and left on the cow's neck (This has occurred a number of times t!
an ear will be removed but the tag that was on it will be left at
ea;:
this
surrounding area, an
big head" and the
she thought were
road. As she drove
inber of animals
were thought to have
were attributed to the
ion cases in either
in Sweetwater Coun-
oceurred between
cases; one law offi¬
ce have occurred in
including) 1975. Most
be eight 1982 cases
Hereford cow found
21st. A portion of
er cases in Colo-
with the head and
s had been removed
hiroughout the years -
scene * see Neb-
373
24
UTAH-WYOMING (continued)
ra ska-the Lehman case in December), The Daggett County sheriff reports that the ani¬
mal was necropsied by the state veterinarian and: "It was his opinion that the cow was
dead before it had been mutilated. He also stated that the mutilation was done with a
cutting instrument and was not done by an animal",
(2) Travis O'Brien ranch 0ordan O'Brien’s brother). A $600 cow was found on September
26 and was estimated to have died sometime since the 23rd, The tongue, left ear and
the entire udder were taken.
(3) Alan Cartridge ranch. Another $600 cow was found mutilated, again on Sept. 26, and
it was thought that death had occurred a day or two previously. The animal was found
i-mile off a road in a field, with the left ear removed. An unspecified number of teats
were also taken,
(4) Alan fkrtridge ranch. On or about September 30 (Thursday), a four-year-old cow was
found missing its left ear, entire udder and a 4-inch-wide by 6-inch-deep section which
had been "cored out" of the rectal area.
(5) Alan Partridge was the owner, but this $500 cow was found on another nearby ranch
(hot known whether it was supposed to be on this other ranch) on about October 10th.
Missing were the left ear, all teats and, in this case, the female genitalia,
(6) Alan Partridge, owner. Again, an animal found on another ranch (though not the
ranch in #5), A 2-year-old, 600-lb, bull calf was mutilated around October 19th. The
left ear was cut off flush with the head. The penis was removed, leaving a clean oval
wound where it had been; the testicles were undisturbed. Some blood was noted in the
animal’s nose and mouth, and the neck appeared swollen. Immediately aroimd the head
were traces of blood on the grass.
(7) Howard ranch - A 400-lb, Hereford steer calf was killed and mutilated around Oct.
19th or 20th, The penis and scrotum were taken, along with the left ear. The tongue
was missing - an element not reported in the other area cases, A portion of hide had
been rather cleanly removed from the lower left side of the jaws, exposing the mouth,
from which the tongue was taken,
(8) Howard ranch - another 400-lb, Hereford steer calf, mutilated around October 24th,
Only the left ear was taken, with no other sign of mutilation. A Rock Springs, Wyoming
veterinarian performed an autopsy on the animal on October 26, and he felt that the ani¬
mal might have died of natural causes, as the lungs exhibited some infection. There was
no other apparent cause of death. A small amount of blood was noted coming out of the
374
UTAH-WYOMING (continued)
25
mouth, and there were indications that the calf had struggled to some degree -
Sweetwater County, Wyoming, sheriffs deputy Theron Wilde told Linda Moulton Howe,
in the update segment of the April 1983 re-broadcast in Denver of TT A Strange Harvest":
They tell me that it's predators, which I do not believe, because I do not
feel a predator can do these things, 1 don't feel a predator can come up
and chew half of a bag off of a cow or the end of a penis off of a bull and
not touch any of the rest of the cow. I've been around predators and they'll
go inside the abdominal cavity first and eat the insides, which is easy eating.
Deputy Wilde told Linda Howe that the state crime lab in Cheyenne agreed to treat po¬
tential mutilation cases with the same methods and priorities assigned to human homi¬
cide investigations, Wilde, a working cattle rancher, also reported that there had been
a few helicopter reports during the period of the mutilations, and extending to Novem¬
ber 7th. Around the first of October, Wilde requested that a seismic exploration team
with a chopper that had been working in Uinta County refrain from flying over the
Daggett/Sweetwater County area. On Sunday, October 10th, Wilde, whose ranch is in
the area where the mutilations occurred, observed a small 2-seater helicopter, with a
glass bubble, silver tail with red at the end of the tail, circling over pasture lands.
Wilde was unable to detect identifying markings through binoculars. Then, on November
7th, the same or a similar chopper flew over in the same circling pattern. This area
was the scene of one of the more vivid "mystery helicopter" sightings that we reported
on in our 1980 special publication, THE CHOPPERS AND THE CHOPPERS. In 1977 a de¬
puty sheriff was chased and paced down a rural road by a solid dark-green helicopter
at speeds of up to 90 mph until the chopper, with its three long-haired, cowboy^clothes-
clad occupants laughing and whooping it up, sat down on the road in front of the depu¬
ty's pickup. The deputy grabbed for his rifle, picked up his shotgun instead, and fired
harmlessly at the chopper as it rose and flew away. The deputy had no trouble hearing
the chopper as it flew alongside him but when it took off, he heard no sound - was it
"silenced" in some fashion (like the "whisper mode"choppers in the films "Blue Thunder”
and "Endangered Species") or was it a trick-of-the-mind induced by the deputy's fright
and adrenalin-flow?
(Sources: Linda Moulton Howe; Gaylen Jarvie, Sheriff of Daggett County, Utah)
Washington
FEBRUARY 19 - PIERCE COUNTY
Graham area. The 23rd known horse mutilation in Pierce County since (and including)
1975 garnered ample publicity and again raised the ire of horse lovers. These horse
375
26
WASHINGTON (continued)
attacks, all directed at either geldings or stallions, have differed from the "classic"
livestock mutilations reported elsewhere in the country in that a great many of the
equine victims survived the attacks. There is usually ample blood and bleeding. The
events are most often characterized by the removal of the penis with a sharp instru¬
ment. The gelded quarter horse found on February 19 was alive but bleeding profusely
from the wound where the penis had been severed. The horse was found near the house
but, as in the other cases, there was no noise or disturbance - leading some investi¬
gators to theorize that some sort of pain-killer/sedative may have been applied with a
tranquillizer dart gun - using a drug that dissipates soon after the mutilation. But in
the Graham-area case of the 19th, Puyallup veterinarian William J. Briskey was unable
to locate any areas on the body that would indicate an entrance wound from a dart or
needle* "There was no sign of sedation", he said. "The horse looked normal except for
the bleeding, I wish I knew how they were doing it"*
MAY 12 - PIERCE COUNTY
A 6-week-old registered thoroughbred colt was seen alive and well around 7:00 on the
evening of the 11th. Although most of the victim horses fail to put up a struggle, this
animal apparently "put up a fuss" against its attackers. The horse, found still alive
around 8:00 the next morning, had suffered a deep 3-inch gash in the groin area, and
the intestines were trailing out. Authorities felt the animal probably put up a fight as
someone tried to sexually mutilate it - like the others - but the groin was sliced in
the struggle. At around 4:30 that morning, a neighbor's dog had been "barking wildly",
but no other suspicious activity was recorded. This was noted as being horse mutila¬
tion number 24 in the series*
By November of 1982 a reward for the mutilators stood at almost $10,000. Press ac¬
counts indicated that the latest horse mutilation before 1982 occurred in 1980. However,
as we noted in our summary of the 1981 cases in STIGMATA no. 16, a couple of such
attacks may have occurred in early 1981. Also, a bull was reported mutilated in Pierce
County in late winter of 1981, and a steer in neighboring King County was mutilated in
September 1981. Sheriff and Humane Society investigators are stumped, having been un¬
able to discern any patterns. They report that all of the horses have been mutilated
"with smooth, clean cuts that would indicate the use of an extremely sharp instrument”.
The organs that were removed were recovered in only two cases.
To the north of Seattle, it was reported in February of 1982 that a significant number
of horses in Snohomish County had been turning up missing - and presumed stolen. Of
about 30,000 horses in the county, approximately 30 disappear or are stolen each month*
It was revealed in October of 1982 that in the Yakima, Washington area, up to 14 dogs
had been skinned within a year, and their carcasses tossed over the back fence at the
376
27
WASHINGTON (continued)
Yakima County Humane Society animal shelter. Also, at least a half-dozen cats had
been "partially skinned” (using "very smooth razor cuts'). All survived, although at
least some of them had to be put to sleep. As for the dogs, it was difficult to deter¬
mine whether they had been alive when skinned.
Sources: TACOMA NEWS TRIBUNE,2-24-82, 5-12-S2; Eatonyille, WA, DISPATCH, 2- 24-
82; Everett, WA, HERALD, 2-5-82; NISQUALLY VALLEY NEWSfYelm, WA), 2-25-82;
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER, 10-17-82, 11-28-82; Olympia, WA, OLYMPIAN, il-28-
82; Salem, OR, STATESMAN-JOURNAL, 11-27-82; Yakima, WA, HERALD REPUBLIC,
10-12-82 - Credit; Linda Williford, Kalani Bmohano0acob Davidson), Toyo Yamamoto,
Peter Guttilla via Lucius Parish (UFO Newsclipping Service); Julius Rodman via Kalani
Hanohano*
WEST VIRGINIA
EARLY SEPTEMBER - PRESTON COUNTY
Location: the Bmeeton Mills area, near the Pennsylvania border* A couple weTl call the
Sandersons, in mid-1982, moved onto property where the house and adjoining fields had
been deserted for several years* They brought with them a number of horses and three
goats. In August the youngest kid goat was found "ripped in half 1 , apparently having
been attacked by an animal. The backbone was fractured and the carcass partially eat¬
en* Then, around the first of September, the second of three goats was found over a
hill about a quarter-mile from the Sanderson's house* The ample udder was missing
from the 5-6 year-old animal and it lay dead* The udder had been removed "smooth as
could be" and the underlying abdominal cavity had not been damaged. There was no
blood around and no evidence of bleeding. Although it was expected that scavengers
would attend to the carcass right away, nothing fed upon it until about a week later*
The third goat was chained about 20 feet away from where the carcass was found. Phy¬
sically, the survivor was well, except that the formerly docile animal was suddenly
fearful and nervous* It looked haggard and thin as though it had actually lost a signifi¬
cant amount of body weight overnight - as it walked in a constant circle at the length of
her chain, wearing a rut in the ground. As of mid-1983, this remaing goat remains un¬
characteristically nervous and "terror-stricken". There were less-than-substantial hints
of other similar occurrences in the area; but at present the Sanderson goat case remains
an isolated one*
PREVIEW - 1983: The "trickle 11 of mutilation reports typically begins to get noticably
heavier around mid-year* 1983 appears to be no exception, as we go to press* Mutila¬
tors have already struck Colorado and Texas* Persistent rumors emanate from Arizona*
Hardest hit so far has been northern New Mexico* In CRUX well report on some fas¬
cinating and possibly mute-related occurrences in New Mexico.
377
MUTE MISCELLANY
In her documentary, "A Strange Harvest", Linda Moulton Howe presez
tained by Dr- R, Leo Sprinkle, using regressive hypnosis) of a woman
have been abducted onto a UFO in the Houston area in 1973, Aboard t;
nessed the mutilation of a calf by ufonauts, Two recent developments:
daughter (who was abducted in the same incident but refused to partic
tigation) has now surfaced and expressed interest in determining to hi
(and peace of mind, apparently) just what occurred. Then, on Memory
1983, the Texas woman was driving with family members in Missouri
was paced by a white-light UFO for some distance. They reached the
farmhouse of a relative, where the light moved in to hover over a ba
Three years previously, it is claimed that three cattle were found de
in that barn*
ited an account (ob*
who claimed to
le craft, she wit-
Tbe woman’s
ipate in the inves-
tr own satisfaction
l1 Day weekend of
when their car
ir destination, the
rn before exiting*
id and mutilated
Anticipation is keen for a book to be published in 1984 by Prentice-Ha
IOTENT by Lawrence Fawcett and Barry J. Greenwood, Though some
date will apparently be included, the primary thrust of the book will
tion of the government/UFO connection - based in part on documents
Freedom of Information Act, There will be much on the madness of ]
icopters, UFOs - including the brazen overflights over military Insta]
doubted that the government was interested in UFOs, this book has tl
allaying those doubts* It’s tentatively scheduled to be published in the
11: titled CLEAR
amount of mute
be an examina-
obtained via the
975 - mutes, hel-
lations. If you
,e potential for
spring of 1984.
Two videocassette releases may be of interest to those with video re<
gered Species" has now been released on videocassette by MGM/UA.
the theatrical version, A documentary - "UFOs - It Has Begun" is re
but we do not know who issued it or where to locate it* The 1979 filn
early-to-mid 70" s documentary, "UFOs - Past, Present & Future” - i
in 1979 of a significant amount of Jacques Vallee-narrated mutilation r
;orders* "Endan-
It's the same as
portedly available,
i is actually an
vith the addition
nateriaL
Ray Boeche of the Nebraska Association for the Study of the Unexplak
Mahlman of the University of Nebraska/Lincoln advise that a public c
ploring Unexplained Phenomena" will be co-sponsored by their organic
be held in Lincoln on November 11-13, 1983, Speakers include J, Allen
Schuessler, Budd Hopkins, Lawrence Fawcett, Loren Coleman, Roy N
nold, and mutilations will be covered by Linda Moulton Howe and Tot
ject Stigma* For further information on admission,etc,,contact: The
braska-Lincoln; Division of Continuing Studies; 205 Nebraska Center;
Streets; Lincoln, Nebraska 68583* We T re looking forward to it!
led and Terry E,
onference on "Ex-
ations and will
Hynek, John F,
flackal, Larry Ar-
n Adams of Pro-
LJniversity of Ne-
33rd and Holdrege
Investigator Tommy Roy Blann, in May 1983, received confirmation - f
nadian Mounted Police - that "the investigation into cattle mutilations
continues to be an ongoing investigation". He was provided with no d*
