An eerie mystery involving the mutilation of several cows in Texas has local police scratching their heads.
Six cattle, all from different locations, pastures and herds in the state, were found dead along a state highway with their tongues removed and the hide around their mouths severed, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Wednesday.
Police claimed there was no blood spilled from the mutilated cattle.
Local authorities first became aware of the killings when they were alerted by ranchers who discovered a 6-year-old longhorn-cross cow had been mutilated on their property in Madison County, Texas.
The longhorn-cross cow was found lying dead on her side with her tongue missing. The hide around her mouth was removed with a “straight, clean cut, with apparent precision,” police wrote. They claimed the meat under the removed hide was untouched.
There were no signs that the cow had struggled before its death. The grass around the cow was “undisturbed,” with no indications of footprints or tire markings.
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“Ranchers also reported that no predators or birds would scavenge the remains of the cow, leaving it to decay untouched for several weeks,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
After investigating the longhorn-cross cow’s death, police discovered five other similar occurrences involving four adult cows and one yearling. All of the cows died along a state highway between Brazos and Robertson counties in Texas.
Two of the latter five cows also had “a circular cut” that was made on the animal’s rear ends to remove the anus and the external genitalia, as per the police report. These cuts were made with the same level of precision as the lacerations around all of the cattle’s mouths.
The cause of death of all six cows remains unknown.
This is not the first time that cattle have been found dead with their tongues removed in the U.S. In 2019, five bulls were discovered dead in Oregon with their tongues and genitalia removed.
Earlier in 2016, several cows in Georgia were found dead with clean cut, circular incisions sliced in their rear ends.
It is currently unclear if anyone was apprehended in relation to either event, though police are considering all possible connections.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said they are coordinating with other agencies in a search for answers.
Anyone with information pertaining to the killings of the six cattle in Texas is encouraged to reach out to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office at 936-348-2755.
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