Texas investigators have joined others nationwide in seeking an explanation following the discovery of several dead cows with their tongues and other body parts removed.
Officials in Madison County, about two hours South of Dallas, were alerted by ranchers to a cow found “lying on her side, deceased, and mutilated,” according to a social media post on the Madison County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
Investigators discovered that the 6-year-old longhorn-cross cow was missing the hide around its mouth. The animal’s tongue had been removed in a “straight, clean cut, with apparent precision,” per the social media post.
Officials said that there was no blood spilled during the removal of the tongue, and there were no signs of struggle.
This is apparently not the first such occurrence.
During the investigation, officials discovered five similar cases involving cattle along Texas State Highway OSR through Brazos and Robertson counties. The five other occurrences involved four adult cows and one yearling.
These scenes were all similar to the first, as the cows each had a portion of their jawline and their entire tongues removed. Officials said “a circular cut was made removing the anus and the external genitalia” from two of the five newly discovered cows, and those cuts had the same precision as the cuts each cow had on their jaws, according to the social media post.
The grass around each of the cows was undisturbed, with no signs of footprints or tire tracks. Officials also stated that predators and birds of prey had curiously chosen not to scavenge the remains of the cows, meaning they had been left untouched for weeks after their deaths.
It’s currently unknown what caused the death of the six cows, but Madison County officials say similar occurrences have been discovered across the rest of the U.S.
Madison County urges anyone with knowledge about the incidents to contact Investigator Foster at 936-348-2755 during standard business hours.