Authorities in Texas have launched an investigation after discovering six cows dead and mutilated along a state highway. In a press release, officials noted that the cows’ tongues had been “completely removed.”
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on the “suspicious cattle deaths,” sharing that ranchers in the county reported first finding a 6-year-old longhorn-cross cow dead and mutilated.
The Madison County ranchers shared that they found the cow’s tongue was removed “with no blood spill.”
The ranchers also discovered a “straight, clean cut, with apparent precision” on the cattle, presumably made to remove the hide from around the cow’s mouth, the release noted.
This resulted in the sheriff’s office launching an investigation to find out what happened to the cow, and while searching for evidence, investigators learned of five more cows who were found to be dead and in similar conditions.
The cows were not from the same herd, and the sheriff’s office noted that they were each from a different location and pasture along the state highway.
Two of the cows were found to have a circular cut also made to remove the anus and the external genitalia on the animal.
“This circular cut was made with the same precision as the cuts noted around the jaw lines of each cow,” the sheriff’s office said in its release.
Officials noted that there were no signs of struggle with any of the cows’ deaths, as well as no signs of blood spills, footprints, or tire tracks around the animals.
The investigation remains ongoing as the death of the cows is still unknown, and the sheriff’s office shared that it is working with other law enforcement agencies.
“Multiple similar incidents have been reported across the United States, and we are actively coordinating with other agencies to find answers,” the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information on the death of the cows is being asked to contact the sheriff’s office.
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