There has been a wave of perplexing sheep mutilations in Port Lavaca, Texas over the past few months in which one farmer has lost 21 head of his prized Barbados Sheep since July 2013. Wayne Daggs, who worked in law enforcement for 23 years including an 18-year stint as the county constable before retiring in 2000 to raise sheep, says he’s losing the animals at a rate of one every five days (and usually a few at a time). Two more were mutilated just last week. At first Wayne Daggs thought illegal immigrants may have been stealing the sheep for food but the surgical precision and graphic nature of the mutilations led him to believe otherwise.
Male animals have been found castrated and females with their female sexual organs surgically removed. The bodies of the animals have been found some distance away from the property which backs up to a muddy bayou. The Houston Chronicle noted:
“How someone moved the sheep from the property was perplexing. Barbados sheep weigh 60 to 75 pounds, not an easy weight to stealthily carry off property.”
Daggs says the grass around the mutilated animals has been untouched with no traces of people or animals moving about the body. Given the nature of the soft ground, he says that there would have to be some sort of evidence in nearby clearings to point to who or what is doing this.
“What really gets me is the lack of tracks and evidence. Around those animals, you don’t see where somebody was there. It was just like they were just dropped there. There was no footprints, there was no crossing marks, there was no evidence whatsoever to lead us in any direction.”
Daggs pointed out that there are also goats and donkeys on the property. None have been touched.
The Houston Chronicle recalled a similar incident 10 years prior.
“In the early 1900s a similar mutilation was discovered. A horse was found dead with no traces of blood and nothing but the bone above the neck. An examination of the horse showed that its nervous system had been removed with what looked like a laser.”
Dagg’s property is well protected against predators with “everything, the fence, the gates, everything [designed] to keep dogs, coyotes, and predators out.” According to Calhoun County Sherriff George Aleman:
“‘It wasn’t a wild animal, which would tear the meat. This was too clean to be an animal. Whoever did this knew what they were doing.”
Paranormal organization MUFON sent an investigator to the scene but (in typical MUFON fashion) they refused to release information stating that “it’s an ongoing investigation” and “documents related to the investigation are confidential”.
Sherriff Aleman also recalled that there was a group of self-proclaimed satanic worshipers in the area in the late 70’s who were responsible for several cattle mutilations. Aleman does not think the group is involved with the current animal mutilations.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department announced that they are offering a $2,500 reward for information regarding the sheep mutilations.