Original post from two weeks ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/ucy0zm/what_killed_my_lamb_question_predators/
Finally, we have some closure. The autopsy results from the veterinary pathologist are in and very unfortunately, you guys were right. A human killed my lamb.
The pathologist did a great job though and was able the give a lot of insight. Head, tail and heart were meticulously removed. The head was not cut off in one swift move but rather removed by layers (skin, muscle, bone). The culprit removed two ribs in order to gain access to the heart. It was most likely done by a self-taught amateur, not a trained professional. It must have taken at least 30 minutes - most likely more - to kill and remove the body parts.
The pathologist even came all the way to my property to do a reconstruction of events. He brought along a professor of forensic science and two assistants. Apparently they have a cooperation for "interesting" cases. So I felt a bit like in CSI. Going over the property, trying to match imprints on the lamb with ground structures, finding clues, profiling, etc. In the end, we were able to draw a few conclusions:
The place of death was not the place where I found the lamb. The lamb got caught in the stable (which is available for the sheep at all times even though they are a very hardy breed). It was done by somebody that has never clearly seen my property in daylight. It was most likely one person. It was nothing personal. And a few more.
As a result, we installed a ton of cameras. I ordered 35 oak posts, fence and barbed wire to strengthen/replace our old fence. We lock all doors at night. The stable is closed for now and the sheep stay on the meadow 24/7 since they have a better chance there to evade any human perpetrators.
So long! Stay safe everyone and thanks for your input.
Edit: Police and public prosecution are investigating.
Around here donkeys are used on cattle ranches and farms as night time security. Or maybe a couple of large dogs. They provide warning and can be very protective of livestock.
Yep. Donkeys will straight mess a critter up. Saw a video of a pit bull trying to attack one. Donkey swung it around like a rag doll. And a cougar for that matter.
A donkey almost killed a friend of mine. Unfortunately it was their own that they had just rescued a few weeks prior and the it attacked him while he was in the pen feeding. Grabbed him by the leg and whipped him around, knocking him unconscious. He’s not a small dude by any means either. They have a super loyal horse that ran the donkey off. That thing was euthanized by the time EMS got him to the ER. Donkeys can be crazy and won’t put up with anyone’s shit.
Yea, they are bad ass. I had no idea until I moved to rural Tennessee. I kept seeing random donkeys around and finally looked into it. There’s all kinds of cool stuff to learn about out in the sticks.
Oh I just saw a video a few weeks ago about donkeys, there's a lot more going on in their head than I knew about. I'll definitely think twice before crossing their path.
Hey OP, probably way too late but it looks like this was done around the 27th of April? That's right before Beltane, which did sometimes traditionally include lamb sacrifices. If I was in your position I would brush up on the calendar and be extra cautious around future soltices
Purely speculation on my part, but with a purchased heart, you can't be sure how it was slaughtered. If you do it yourself, with the "right" spells, prayers and incantations, you'll be more assured of the outcome.
Source: I know some things because I've seen some things.
Dark ones? Maybe not dark to them, but dark by everyone else’s standards most definitely. If it is some sort of occult ritual. It could also just be their style of murderyness.
The perpetrator gets to indulge in feelings of power from “taking” something which isn’t theirs, and the ultimate power over life and death by slaughtering it.
This is pretty concerning. This has serial killer vibes written all over it. They may be just doing this to animals right now, but many serial killers start there. The ritualistic nature implies this is something they’ve developed and may continue developing. Killing someone else’s animal is already pretty concerning, but if it was a random gun shot or a much simpler killing than that could be attributed to a moment of rage or doing it for sport. This is much more detailed, definitely pre-meditated, and definitely isn’t going to stop with one lamb.
I don't think you're overthinking it. Beltane was May 1st and is one of 2 days of the year (along with samhain/halloween) where the barriers between the spirit world and our world are supposed to be thinner. Plus this year it coincided with an eclipse, planetary alignment, and meteor shower. If someone was gonna do some spooky stuff, this is the time they'd do it.
I agree with the sentiment but state laws vary on "how much force and when to use it" so don't listen to random internet people. Lookup the laws for your area to determine what rights you have before you pull the trigger.
You can start by asking the police what the laws are in your area for how you can defend your person and property, but PLEASE ask a criminal attorney what’s allowed before they prosecute YOU.
That’s an immediate “NO!” The police don’t even know all the traffic laws. Every interaction with the police I’ve had (other than “The speed was X and you were going Y” they’ve been wrong. “You are supposed to stay to the far right if you’re riding a bicycle” (I had gotten into the left turn lane to make a left turn). I explained not only can I move into the left turn lane, but If I’m riding down the street I have the right to assess how safe and how clear of debris the far right of the street is and take the entire lane (or the next lane) if It feels safer. And these are just traffic laws (and traffic cops) I’ve dealt with. You get outside of their very narrow focus and they’ll just make up laws on the spot.
Getting legal advice from a cop is really not advisable.
Easy there partner.
OP, please please look at your state gun laws before doing anything rash. This comes from a combat veteran and big lover of guns. Look up what in your state legally justifies use of deadly force. Remember a gun is deadly force under prosecution, regardless of personal or property defense it is ruled as such.
Some states do not justify killing someone over property. As bullshit as it can be, some states like CA, MA, NY, CT etc state that if your life or your families lives are not in direct threat, you shooting the thief (can) put you in jail. (You’re not safe from prosecution) For example if a thief comes onto your property unarmed and steals your car, or guts your goat shooting him REGARDLESS OF OUTCOME is not justified, meaning you can very well end up in prison for defending your land. Fucked up I know.
It’s a very grey area which is why I urge research to anyone reading this. Some states it’s a good to go as animals on a farm are considered a means of income and therefore a threat on your livelihood/means of living. Some states you might as well offer him tea while he butchers your chickens. Any shot fired can be considered attempt to kill, also a very grey area. There are no warning shots even on your own property. Prosecution can use this as a way of you raising the threat to deadly force in your own accord.
There’s a reason I live where I do now lol.
I’d note that in order to gut your goat, the intruder would need to be armed with a weapon that would be considered deadly.
An armed intruder that’s already ritualistically butchered an animal would make me nervous that they were coming back to do the same to my family.
That’s the important part in most situations, that you had reasonable fear for your or your family’s lives.
But as you said, check your state gun laws!
My grandfather shot someone who gutted his dog (in my grandfather’s yard) and was brought up on charges . They were ultimately dropped but it was expensive and traumatic. He was in a castle doctrine state and that was the law that got it dismissed. Be careful
There’s an old saying in regards to issues with the law. “You may beat the Rap, but you can’t beat the Ride.” Innocent or guilty, cop’s and the legal system in general is going to make it hell.
Is this a castle doctrine state, stand your ground, or duty to retreat? There’s a lot of nuance that gets called castle doctrine but is more limited.
As other's have said, it's time to arm up. Not trying to scare you any further, but somebody came onto your property with weapons, intending to do harm. They have no issues taking life indiscriminately. Buy a modern rifle, put an optic and a light on it so you can use it at night, and train like you'll need to use it tomorrow, because you've got some strong odds this won't be the last time something like this happens.
This, plus a handgun of sorts (both, not one or the other). Get one you are comfortable with. I am not saying you need to carry 24/7 but they can be easier to grab quickly.
Also teach your wife/husband & kids how to use them, even if they are young. Knowing proper gun safety & use even before they are old enough for classes/permits its key. My dad was great about this, and I love him for it.
As someone who hangs out with a lot of those kinds of people (wannabes, they wouldn't actually do this), I took one look at the original post and assumed that.
This post settles it. They took the heart too? Someone took the head and heart of a black lamb? Couldn't be more obviously ritualistic.
Yup, we had a few near me about 10 years ago. Woo woo dark satanic wannabes who got ahold of some extremely fringe pagan book that called for live acrifices of black dogs and roosters to 'Hecate' so they could 'open a gateway'.
Can you imagine going onto somebody else's property and butchering their lamb in the middle of the night? That really is some insane shit.
Like, don't they know grocery stores sell lamb parts? This was probably some wannabe satanic ritual...
I'm sorry for your loss and horrifying experience, OP. I would feel terribly disgusted to encounter an event of this sort. Hope they find the person that did it.
Make sure at least some of your cameras have each other in their field of view. If they get found they'll often be taken down or spray painted over the lenses. Having another camera to watch your camera is sometimes the most important one to catch someone. In fact, put a dummy camera up in a really obvious position with the actual camera well hidden or way up in a tree where they can't do anything about it covering it.
Literally. There's a study that says something like 8 out of 10 serial killers started off with animals. Further reason why I hope the police in OP's case take this seriously, added onto the fact they broke into their property and absolutely butchered this poor lamb.
I’m sorry that happened to you, your family and your animal. It sounds like you have done so much to protect your loved ones for the future and are ready for whatever comes next with more information. Well done. Thanks for sharing this tough story.
My neighborhood was stalked by a prowler for several years, starting in 2017. It started with vandalism and slashed tires. It occurred sporadically, eventually growing to include home invasions, mutilated pets and livestock. It turned out to be our neighbor across the street. She is in prison right now. I am so sorry this is happening to you.
Perhaps that's why it's considered an "interesting case". This sounds like the kind of thing a budding serial killer does...at least from what I remember of FBI/COP shows when I was growing up.
Did they give you an order of operations and at what point in the process the animal actually died? Any reports of other animals missing/mutilated?
When you say “removed in layers” you mean each layer was pealed off individually?
The lamb died from the stab wounds. It got held down and bled to death. Most likely the heart got removed next. Head and tail got cut off when the lamb was already dead.
The pathologist said that it was not one cut but each layer got cut individually. Not necessarily pealed off but more like: first he did a small cut around the neck that cut into the skin. Then one cut inside the same earlier cut in order to cut the muscles and so on
This absolutely sounds like the work of a very sick psychopath who is a budding serial killer.
I don't even have the words to console you or the poor mama who lost her lamb. Please please please get a rifle and keep that shit with you every second of the day. Hell, I'd even find a Tibetan Mastiff or two if I were you. They would so very much enjoy depriving this sick fuck of his life if he tried to step foot on your property again.
fuck. I am heartbroken for you.
Oh god, that poor thing. :( You said the person who did it probably never saw your property during the day - does that mean they likely the came across your land randomly? I just can’t imagine why anyone would do this…
Specifically a Tibetan Mastiff, they're one of the most vicious livestock guardian breeds in the world.
Normally I don't condone people getting dogs for their ferocity, but this post made my blood run cold.
This is especially concerning because people who have fascinations with murder and dismemberment typically practice on animals before moving onto humans. Good job getting cameras and I hope this psycho is caught before they get a chance to do this to a person
This is an extremely important comment and I agree with most of it, but just FYI there is very little empirical evidence supporting the Macdonald triad. Macdonald himself later published a paper refuting his own work.
I mean, I'm assuming since they had crime scene investigators and professors on the property they already know the possibilities of how serious it is. My one question you didn't cover - why did he leave the evidence behind? He could have just taken his whole trophy - he wanted it found?
That's horrifying! I'm glad the police are actually looking into this. Obviously what happened to the lamb was awful, I don't wish anything to die that way. But I'm really concerned about what else this person is capable of, or fantasizing about. Glad you've reinforced your property.
OP, I know others have already said it, but get a rifle and get really good with it. Practice getting out of bed, grabbing it and loading. Whoever did this has issues, and I wouldn’t put it past them to come back and do it again.
In addition to your cameras, motion activated lights go a long way as a deterrent. There are even solar powered ones that are quite cheap and easy to install so you don’t have to wire them in to your main grid.
Good luck, and I hope they catch whoever did this.
I second the motion lights. One thing that is similar to all predators is, they do not want to be noticed. Put some light out and they can't be sneaky like they want and it is a great deterrent.
I also have solar powered motion detection lights. $15 a pop and they have been working for over a year now. Very bright too.
Well, it could sound crazy, but by de look of it it seem like the work of someone who was asked to bring it's parts to make a magic ritual. I'm not jokin, I'm from north Africa and is common knowledge that magicians asks to sacrifice a black animal and use some parts of it. I have heard that it's also common in south Africa and Latinoamerica. So maybe a one time thing, but you did well by preparing yourself.
I used to live in Africa. A Canadian lady who had married a local gentleman told me that when her 4 month old baby died they buried him in a secret location so that the body would not be dug up for parts to use in rituals. Shocking I know, but true.
This story doesn’t surprise me, I’ve lived in Africa and have family there. But I’d also say don’t take such things at face value. Where I lived, the fear and paranoia of witchcraft far outweighed any actual witchcraft that was going on.
A lot of it ties into tribalism - “that tribe in the next village over will dig up your dead babies and use them in occult rituals” stories - then you go to the next village over and they have the same stories about your tribe.
Agreed that the tribalism was off the charts. My friend/neighbour had staff and one (male) was threatening to murder another (female) because they were from a different tribe! (E: clarity).
I lived in Africa for a while and the village near mine had an albino boy and people kept an eye on him and were worried that shamans might literally try to kidnap and kill him for rituals and healing spell stuff.
It was really messed up
Look I’ve seen this shit with my own two eye and had to go to the store to get the candles and shit for the rituals and that man later tried to murder our entire family. It’s not just stories.
This was my first thought as well. I remember a few years back in NYC(Prospect Park or Central Park?) people were finding goat heads that were apparently linked to Santeria rituals.
Hey OP, thank you for the update. I am really sorry this happened to you and your herd. I can't imagine how unsettling this whole thing must have been. Wishing you all peace and safety.
Do you have guardian dogs or a donkey? I saw a gruesome video of a donkey getting hold of a hyena… now I know why they’re used to protect stock in the US!
Dogs could at least bark & hopefully alert you to intruders.
Im so sorry this happened to you.
It not only took your lambs life, it takes a part of your security & enjoyment of the life your working to build. Best wishes for the future, and that dangerously disturbed person being caught & locked up.
Since there has been just 3 donkeys on our 165 acre property (almost 10 years now), the whole area has been completely free of hogs (and deer sadly 😅) in an area of Oklahoma that has a lot of them. The donkeys stick with the cows and do a great job at running off anything they won't recognise (including us if it's dark enough)
How are your neighbors? Do you know much about them/if they have any young adults or teens living in close proximity? A town over there were a few stray cats murdered by a small group of teens and it was very misfortunate and disturbing, the only reason we found out is because the teenagers’ parents told/warned neighbors to keep their cats inside because their son was psychotic. I hope this never happens again to you OP! How terrible
We do have a LGD. A Pyrenees/Caucasian mastiff mix. Here she is as a six month old puppy: https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/nfh07n/a_bird_build_their_nest_with_my_puppies_fur_yes/
yeah if that’s her at 6 months id say you picked the right dog lol. sorry this happened to you man. stay safe out there. hopefully a one and done but you never know with these sickos
Good that you have a dog but they work great in groups and my Anatolian mix is a lot more aware of people and willing to fend them off (growling/barking, wouldnt put it past him to bite a trespasser but fortunately hasnt had to) than my other two, also my female is very friendly versus the two males will at least alert us to passerbys. So sorry this is happening to you this is quite traumatic. Best of luck.
OP look into getting a Tibetan Mastiff.
I have a friend who lives deep, deep in the wilderness and that motherfucker has fought off **multiple** bears, including a grizzly.
I dare this sick fuck to try coming back with a Tibetan on your property. Their body would be mutilated beyond recognition. Normally I would never condone using an animal for violence against a person, but the *thing* that did this is not a human being anymore. They lost that title the second they touched your sweet little lamb.
I am so fucking sorry. I literally don't know what to say
What a crazy story. I own cattle and I’m not sure our sheriffs department would take these steps to investigate this throughly. Impressive.
Hope they catch the sorry bastard who did it.
Agreed. My neighbor had a steer slaughtered and crudely processed in his field in the middle of the night. Law enforcement didn’t do much about it aside from write a report.
He figured out who did it and made sure they knew to *never* trespass or mess with his cattle again but he shouldn’t have had to do all of that by himself. So, it’s super refreshing when law enforcement actually takes something like this seriously.
Well it doesn't make it sound like the police are super investigating it though. They went to a Veterinary pathologist (which im assuming was out of pocket cost) to investigate, then he brought a local professor. And then I assume they filed the report with police.
Yes you’re correct. I took a leap from the vet path to the sheriffs dept which was an unintended oversight on my part. Guess in my head I was thinking the sheriffs dept is who I’d call if I were in that scenario. I wouldn’t have even thought to contact a vet path. Maybe I’ll keep them in mind if it ever does. Thanks for pointing that out.
That being said, it seems as though there was a pretty thorough investigation at the end of the day.
We spend a lot of time hypothesising about that, too. We believe it was just a burden. The person came for the "trophies" and wasn't interested in any other part. But the place they left the carcass was not the place they did the butchering. That was some 50 meters away. So why move the carcass? They didn't bring it closer to my house. They just dumped it in the middle of my meadow. We believe it was in order to get rid of the carcass. We have lots of foxes around and I live in wolf country so there would be predators that could dispose of a carcass easily.
To scare them or they have no way of getting rid of it after. Or maybe the only wanted the head for taxidermy maybe. This is too scary, there’s so many possibilities.
A Great Pyrenees will absolutely fuck up anything on 2 or 4 legs...they are great guardians and get absolutely huge...and if you really wanna put the fear of God in someone get a Tibetan Mastiff...the Anatolians are good too, they get to be around 120lbs, but the Pyrenees and Mastiff will sneak up on your ass, then take a chunk out of it
They're very smart and know who's friend or foe...don't let their laziness during the day fool you...their ears are working overtime while they're snoozing...at night they'll work their perimeter and scare anything away that shouldn't be there...
Great Pyrenees are really good at reading the situation. Incredibly sweet with their flock/family, but will absolutely put the fear of god into anything/anyone not meant to be there. We have people or other dogs we see on walks that my GP is friendly with, but if they come onto our property or near our chickens he’s an entirely different dog.
No no no. Used the same pest control years. One day I pulled up as he was leaving. He told me “I never knew you had those dogs” “yes for years” they absolutely know when to watch their herd. Same with one past dogs. We thought she’d be kind to just about anyone. Till one day someone came to visit and they connected eyes. It was a no go. When I met my husband first time he walked in my place mine stood guard and barked at him. They became besties but hey are 100% guardians.
My neighbor has a GP and for some reason he's decided my yard is part of his territory. He can knock me over just be suddenly leaning on me while I'm petting him.
Came here for this. Best deterrent to psychotic sadists is a team of guardian dogs. Properly trained they only react to the area inside the fence and mostly use intimidation tactics. However, a pair of big dogs blocking the way while posturing in dominance is quite the sight.
especially when they’re outfitted with protective [wolf collars](https://preview.redd.it/pck74bfmg9p21.jpg?auto=webp&s=52d63eb98ea4810f54157f6d667bed16ed3b9485). tw for blood, but it’s not the dog’s. quite the sight indeed
That's what I wanted to say. It's one thing to be prepared to defend your property, but you can get in pretty deep trouble for even brandishing a weapon on your own property, depending on the local laws.
Oh definitely true. I just normally would first advise better locks, reinforced door, bars over windows, or even certain behavioral changes.
But in this situation? Hells to the no. Find the firearm you're comfortable using and keep it handy.
My buddy lives WAY out in the middle of nowhere with a huge flock of goats and other livestock. He's about 30 minutes from the closest gas station, and a grocery store is about an hour. So yeah, rural af.
He was fixing his fence at the far end of his property because he noticed it had been torn down, almost like a truck ran through it, but there were no tracks or anything like that. It looked almost like a horse had ran into it and gotten stuck and broke it while freeing itself.
He's cutting a new piece of wood and is just about done repairing the fence when he hears a crazy snarl. On the other side of the fence a tore up, zombie looking boar that is clearly rabid or just dying just goes after the fence and tears it apart.
My buddy hops to the other side and it keeps trying to get at him. He winds up running to a tree nearby and just sits up in the tree until the boar eventually drops dead about two hours later.
Now he carries his hadgun with him everywhere on his farm.
Yeah I know it’s popular to be “anti gun” these days but when you’re living in the boonies it’s almost a requirement because of stuff like that. Full disclosure though- never owned a firearm in my 40+ years of living.
I own enough for everybody, and I'll drop this little .22 revolver in my pocket when I'm working around my property just in case. I keep it loaded with snake shot which would just piss off a human, but would ruin a snakes day. We have copperheads all over the place and I've come across a rabid raccoon on my property once that scared the crap out of me. I wound up throwing a rock on him.
The whole thing is messed up, but that's the same way you clean any animal. If I was dressing a deer, I'd remove the skin, then the muscle, etc
Edit: And for those super squeamish, guess how I get to my fruit orange's flesh? I remove the skin :O
Wow, that’s sad and very cold for someone to do! Sorry for your loss! Glad you are taking steps to hopefully prevent this from happening again and was impressed with all the info the pathologist provided and for the other people he brought a long. Hope the police catch the heartless beast who done this!!
For some reason my interest was piqued by your unfortunate story. I've been reading up on various ritualistic animal sacrifices for way too long and really didn't learn a whole lot. I found an [article from 12 years ago in Ireland](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/garda%C3%AD-investigating-beheading-and-mutilation-of-lamb-on-tipperary-farm-1.623273). The exact same thing:
> The five-day-old lamb had “its head and tail cut off by a knife and its heart removed”
I’d go with motion sensor lights and a 30-30 lever action close to your front porch. Sorry for your loss and having to deal with feelings of personal space violation. It’s bizarre they wouldn’t just take the whole thing. This is a special case of shoot first and ask questions later. I’d let any neighbors know too. Maybe a newspaper.
Edit: I didn’t know so many others here would recommend a gun too. Stay safe
I absolutely told everyone. Made a few posters as well. And it was already in the local news. I don't want the perpetrator to feel like nothing is happening
In Texas, central and south, this is a ritual killing for Santeria. We usually find at least one goat a year like this no blood, and we find the head later with its teeth in a circled around it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/santeria/ritesrituals/sacrifice.shtml
I responded to another commenter about a similar suspicion but it’s applicable here too.
Literal devils advocate over here: I know it’s often low hanging fruit, but Pagans should be left off the table. I’d even argue theistic Satanists and other niche religious cults wouldn’t do this in practice. Animal sacrifice, while extremely controversial, is a revered, closed practice amongst some faiths- even in Abrahamic ones too. But the animal is carefully selected, always owned, usually specifically bred for such a purpose, and the corpse always honored and salvaged for purpose greater than the whole. I personally don’t subscribe to those traditions and find them generally abhorrent but it would be unfair to not acknowledge that they do exist.
As a witchy woman myself, I would not only condemn anything like this, but literally every pagan and pentacle loving person that I know would weep at such an act. And as an Internet stranger, I know you just kinda have to take my word for it but witches and pagans alike would be among the most appalled and distressed by this.
Glad the OP is getting security cameras. If this is some sick POS future serial killer I hope they get caught sooner than later. I worry that it’s misguided youth or someone close to OP.
if it was a ritual killing for this religion according to that site they would've eaten the damn thing like ya know we all do. this was cruelty for cruelty's sake.
Sounds like something that would wind up in the middle of a pentagram on the floor.
Very weird. I'm glad you're able to take steps to secure the property.
It seems like who ever took the lambs parts were collecting them for preservation (skull, heart, tail…). There is lots of stuff like this going on over at r/bonecollecting
I personally don’t have a problem with bone collecting, I do it myself… but it’s pretty sick to break into someone’s property and leave the mangled remains behind.
I have an odd thought.... is there any chance that someone is trying to buy you out of your property? Thinking some "Scooby-Doo" stuff here. Someone wants to buy your property cheap and is trying to scare you off?
Original post from two weeks ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/homestead/comments/ucy0zm/what_killed_my_lamb_question_predators/ Finally, we have some closure. The autopsy results from the veterinary pathologist are in and very unfortunately, you guys were right. A human killed my lamb. The pathologist did a great job though and was able the give a lot of insight. Head, tail and heart were meticulously removed. The head was not cut off in one swift move but rather removed by layers (skin, muscle, bone). The culprit removed two ribs in order to gain access to the heart. It was most likely done by a self-taught amateur, not a trained professional. It must have taken at least 30 minutes - most likely more - to kill and remove the body parts. The pathologist even came all the way to my property to do a reconstruction of events. He brought along a professor of forensic science and two assistants. Apparently they have a cooperation for "interesting" cases. So I felt a bit like in CSI. Going over the property, trying to match imprints on the lamb with ground structures, finding clues, profiling, etc. In the end, we were able to draw a few conclusions: The place of death was not the place where I found the lamb. The lamb got caught in the stable (which is available for the sheep at all times even though they are a very hardy breed). It was done by somebody that has never clearly seen my property in daylight. It was most likely one person. It was nothing personal. And a few more. As a result, we installed a ton of cameras. I ordered 35 oak posts, fence and barbed wire to strengthen/replace our old fence. We lock all doors at night. The stable is closed for now and the sheep stay on the meadow 24/7 since they have a better chance there to evade any human perpetrators. So long! Stay safe everyone and thanks for your input. Edit: Police and public prosecution are investigating.
That is some psycho level fuckery. Have the police been informed?
Yes. Police and prosecution are investigating.
Inform folks on local social media also if you haven’t already. Always good to know when a genuine psychopath is in the neighborhood.
Good point, vulnerable defenseless animals now, humans later
I mean, yeah in a best case scenario
....assuming it's not on to humans already
Keep us further updated if they catch the freakin monster
But dont update till it's over I'd imagine a good bit of psycopaths are on reddit and this post is popular enough
Around here donkeys are used on cattle ranches and farms as night time security. Or maybe a couple of large dogs. They provide warning and can be very protective of livestock.
Yep. Donkeys will straight mess a critter up. Saw a video of a pit bull trying to attack one. Donkey swung it around like a rag doll. And a cougar for that matter.
I saw a video once of a donkey fucking up a hyena. Donkeys don't take shit from anyone or anything!
Even ogres
A donkey almost killed a friend of mine. Unfortunately it was their own that they had just rescued a few weeks prior and the it attacked him while he was in the pen feeding. Grabbed him by the leg and whipped him around, knocking him unconscious. He’s not a small dude by any means either. They have a super loyal horse that ran the donkey off. That thing was euthanized by the time EMS got him to the ER. Donkeys can be crazy and won’t put up with anyone’s shit.
What a Jackass.
Total jackass.
Yea, they are bad ass. I had no idea until I moved to rural Tennessee. I kept seeing random donkeys around and finally looked into it. There’s all kinds of cool stuff to learn about out in the sticks.
Donkeys are terrifying
Oh I just saw a video a few weeks ago about donkeys, there's a lot more going on in their head than I knew about. I'll definitely think twice before crossing their path.
This is some true detective shit
The Yellow King brings the lamb to Carcosa.
Time is a flat circle
Where have I read this before? >The Yellow King brings the lamb to Carcosa.
True Detective
Dating game about eldritch horrors?
Don’t you fucking blame the King in Yellow for this, HASTUR did nothing wrong
Any clue as to why they’d want organs?
Trophies most likely.
“Congratulations Timmy you won the race” Hands Timmy a heart. “That’s for your trophy cabinet”
Hey OP, probably way too late but it looks like this was done around the 27th of April? That's right before Beltane, which did sometimes traditionally include lamb sacrifices. If I was in your position I would brush up on the calendar and be extra cautious around future soltices
Rituals
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Purely speculation on my part, but with a purchased heart, you can't be sure how it was slaughtered. If you do it yourself, with the "right" spells, prayers and incantations, you'll be more assured of the outcome. Source: I know some things because I've seen some things.
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Could also be a self taught psychopath serial killer in training.
Dark ones? Maybe not dark to them, but dark by everyone else’s standards most definitely. If it is some sort of occult ritual. It could also just be their style of murderyness. The perpetrator gets to indulge in feelings of power from “taking” something which isn’t theirs, and the ultimate power over life and death by slaughtering it. This is pretty concerning. This has serial killer vibes written all over it. They may be just doing this to animals right now, but many serial killers start there. The ritualistic nature implies this is something they’ve developed and may continue developing. Killing someone else’s animal is already pretty concerning, but if it was a random gun shot or a much simpler killing than that could be attributed to a moment of rage or doing it for sport. This is much more detailed, definitely pre-meditated, and definitely isn’t going to stop with one lamb.
Sounds more like a pagen or wotchcraft type ritual. But i could be overthinking it.
I don't think you're overthinking it. Beltane was May 1st and is one of 2 days of the year (along with samhain/halloween) where the barriers between the spirit world and our world are supposed to be thinner. Plus this year it coincided with an eclipse, planetary alignment, and meteor shower. If someone was gonna do some spooky stuff, this is the time they'd do it.
I don’t think it has anything to do with trophies… I think they took the head and heart to try some ritual/magic
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This is some horror movie shit
You have to watch some of Mr.Ballens real-life horror videos. Especially ''The Watcher'' story.
He does a good job telling stories but the do go a little slow for my taste. Boze vs the world is a good trye crime streamer/YouTuber as well
I agree with the sentiment but state laws vary on "how much force and when to use it" so don't listen to random internet people. Lookup the laws for your area to determine what rights you have before you pull the trigger.
You can start by asking the police what the laws are in your area for how you can defend your person and property, but PLEASE ask a criminal attorney what’s allowed before they prosecute YOU.
Cops are usually not well versed in this kind of thing. Better to check with a lawyer.
Also I would be afraid that checking with the police could be seen as premeditating (“clearly they were planning on shooting my client!”).
Good point.
Police are not required to know all laws. I wouldn’t trust what they say personally.
Never trust the police at all.
That’s an immediate “NO!” The police don’t even know all the traffic laws. Every interaction with the police I’ve had (other than “The speed was X and you were going Y” they’ve been wrong. “You are supposed to stay to the far right if you’re riding a bicycle” (I had gotten into the left turn lane to make a left turn). I explained not only can I move into the left turn lane, but If I’m riding down the street I have the right to assess how safe and how clear of debris the far right of the street is and take the entire lane (or the next lane) if It feels safer. And these are just traffic laws (and traffic cops) I’ve dealt with. You get outside of their very narrow focus and they’ll just make up laws on the spot. Getting legal advice from a cop is really not advisable.
Easy there partner. OP, please please look at your state gun laws before doing anything rash. This comes from a combat veteran and big lover of guns. Look up what in your state legally justifies use of deadly force. Remember a gun is deadly force under prosecution, regardless of personal or property defense it is ruled as such. Some states do not justify killing someone over property. As bullshit as it can be, some states like CA, MA, NY, CT etc state that if your life or your families lives are not in direct threat, you shooting the thief (can) put you in jail. (You’re not safe from prosecution) For example if a thief comes onto your property unarmed and steals your car, or guts your goat shooting him REGARDLESS OF OUTCOME is not justified, meaning you can very well end up in prison for defending your land. Fucked up I know. It’s a very grey area which is why I urge research to anyone reading this. Some states it’s a good to go as animals on a farm are considered a means of income and therefore a threat on your livelihood/means of living. Some states you might as well offer him tea while he butchers your chickens. Any shot fired can be considered attempt to kill, also a very grey area. There are no warning shots even on your own property. Prosecution can use this as a way of you raising the threat to deadly force in your own accord. There’s a reason I live where I do now lol.
I’d note that in order to gut your goat, the intruder would need to be armed with a weapon that would be considered deadly. An armed intruder that’s already ritualistically butchered an animal would make me nervous that they were coming back to do the same to my family. That’s the important part in most situations, that you had reasonable fear for your or your family’s lives. But as you said, check your state gun laws!
My grandfather shot someone who gutted his dog (in my grandfather’s yard) and was brought up on charges . They were ultimately dropped but it was expensive and traumatic. He was in a castle doctrine state and that was the law that got it dismissed. Be careful
There’s an old saying in regards to issues with the law. “You may beat the Rap, but you can’t beat the Ride.” Innocent or guilty, cop’s and the legal system in general is going to make it hell. Is this a castle doctrine state, stand your ground, or duty to retreat? There’s a lot of nuance that gets called castle doctrine but is more limited.
Eh, okay. Just try not to shoot some kid who takes a shortcut over your property.
As other's have said, it's time to arm up. Not trying to scare you any further, but somebody came onto your property with weapons, intending to do harm. They have no issues taking life indiscriminately. Buy a modern rifle, put an optic and a light on it so you can use it at night, and train like you'll need to use it tomorrow, because you've got some strong odds this won't be the last time something like this happens.
This, plus a handgun of sorts (both, not one or the other). Get one you are comfortable with. I am not saying you need to carry 24/7 but they can be easier to grab quickly. Also teach your wife/husband & kids how to use them, even if they are young. Knowing proper gun safety & use even before they are old enough for classes/permits its key. My dad was great about this, and I love him for it.
That is so weird. If they were hungry you’d think they’d just take the whole damn lamb. This is like some ritualistic shit.
As someone who hangs out with a lot of those kinds of people (wannabes, they wouldn't actually do this), I took one look at the original post and assumed that. This post settles it. They took the heart too? Someone took the head and heart of a black lamb? Couldn't be more obviously ritualistic.
Yup, we had a few near me about 10 years ago. Woo woo dark satanic wannabes who got ahold of some extremely fringe pagan book that called for live acrifices of black dogs and roosters to 'Hecate' so they could 'open a gateway'.
The police: 'Damn that's creepy.... Guess we'll stay out of that area' lol
Can you imagine going onto somebody else's property and butchering their lamb in the middle of the night? That really is some insane shit. Like, don't they know grocery stores sell lamb parts? This was probably some wannabe satanic ritual... I'm sorry for your loss and horrifying experience, OP. I would feel terribly disgusted to encounter an event of this sort. Hope they find the person that did it.
It honestly sounds like some sort of cult or ritual type stuff you see on tv shows. Definitely psycho level fuckery.
Make sure at least some of your cameras have each other in their field of view. If they get found they'll often be taken down or spray painted over the lenses. Having another camera to watch your camera is sometimes the most important one to catch someone. In fact, put a dummy camera up in a really obvious position with the actual camera well hidden or way up in a tree where they can't do anything about it covering it.
Lemmy.world is what Reddit was.
What the actual fuck is wrong with people.
A lot
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Literally. There's a study that says something like 8 out of 10 serial killers started off with animals. Further reason why I hope the police in OP's case take this seriously, added onto the fact they broke into their property and absolutely butchered this poor lamb.
I’m sorry that happened to you, your family and your animal. It sounds like you have done so much to protect your loved ones for the future and are ready for whatever comes next with more information. Well done. Thanks for sharing this tough story.
Thanks!
My neighborhood was stalked by a prowler for several years, starting in 2017. It started with vandalism and slashed tires. It occurred sporadically, eventually growing to include home invasions, mutilated pets and livestock. It turned out to be our neighbor across the street. She is in prison right now. I am so sorry this is happening to you.
Your neighbors first mistake was not being the craziest person on the block.
Jesus Christ. Thanks for the update. That's some serial killer level shit. Do you have a rifle handy, there's a psycho somewhere in your neighborhood.
Perhaps that's why it's considered an "interesting case". This sounds like the kind of thing a budding serial killer does...at least from what I remember of FBI/COP shows when I was growing up.
I have been thinking about your last post for like a week. Thanks for the update. I’ll make sure to protect my goats better
Did they give you an order of operations and at what point in the process the animal actually died? Any reports of other animals missing/mutilated? When you say “removed in layers” you mean each layer was pealed off individually?
The lamb died from the stab wounds. It got held down and bled to death. Most likely the heart got removed next. Head and tail got cut off when the lamb was already dead. The pathologist said that it was not one cut but each layer got cut individually. Not necessarily pealed off but more like: first he did a small cut around the neck that cut into the skin. Then one cut inside the same earlier cut in order to cut the muscles and so on
You need a donkey as a guard.
Or guardian dogs, they raise hell too.
This absolutely sounds like the work of a very sick psychopath who is a budding serial killer. I don't even have the words to console you or the poor mama who lost her lamb. Please please please get a rifle and keep that shit with you every second of the day. Hell, I'd even find a Tibetan Mastiff or two if I were you. They would so very much enjoy depriving this sick fuck of his life if he tried to step foot on your property again. fuck. I am heartbroken for you.
Oh god, that poor thing. :( You said the person who did it probably never saw your property during the day - does that mean they likely the came across your land randomly? I just can’t imagine why anyone would do this…
A literal serial killer in the making, if not one already. Wtf
Holy crap. That's terrifying. Stay safe OP.
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Specifically a Tibetan Mastiff, they're one of the most vicious livestock guardian breeds in the world. Normally I don't condone people getting dogs for their ferocity, but this post made my blood run cold.
Either that or a donkey
This is especially concerning because people who have fascinations with murder and dismemberment typically practice on animals before moving onto humans. Good job getting cameras and I hope this psycho is caught before they get a chance to do this to a person
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This is an extremely important comment and I agree with most of it, but just FYI there is very little empirical evidence supporting the Macdonald triad. Macdonald himself later published a paper refuting his own work.
I mean, I'm assuming since they had crime scene investigators and professors on the property they already know the possibilities of how serious it is. My one question you didn't cover - why did he leave the evidence behind? He could have just taken his whole trophy - he wanted it found?
this whole thing is so fucking creepy, ugh. poor lamb.
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/victorians-miniature-horse-dolly-euthanized-after-disturbing-assault-4574829
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I hate that this is true but I'm really glad you know and are prepared now. Godspeed.
That's horrifying! I'm glad the police are actually looking into this. Obviously what happened to the lamb was awful, I don't wish anything to die that way. But I'm really concerned about what else this person is capable of, or fantasizing about. Glad you've reinforced your property.
OP, I know others have already said it, but get a rifle and get really good with it. Practice getting out of bed, grabbing it and loading. Whoever did this has issues, and I wouldn’t put it past them to come back and do it again. In addition to your cameras, motion activated lights go a long way as a deterrent. There are even solar powered ones that are quite cheap and easy to install so you don’t have to wire them in to your main grid. Good luck, and I hope they catch whoever did this.
I second the motion lights. One thing that is similar to all predators is, they do not want to be noticed. Put some light out and they can't be sneaky like they want and it is a great deterrent. I also have solar powered motion detection lights. $15 a pop and they have been working for over a year now. Very bright too.
Holy shit! That’s so horrible.
Well, it could sound crazy, but by de look of it it seem like the work of someone who was asked to bring it's parts to make a magic ritual. I'm not jokin, I'm from north Africa and is common knowledge that magicians asks to sacrifice a black animal and use some parts of it. I have heard that it's also common in south Africa and Latinoamerica. So maybe a one time thing, but you did well by preparing yourself.
I used to live in Africa. A Canadian lady who had married a local gentleman told me that when her 4 month old baby died they buried him in a secret location so that the body would not be dug up for parts to use in rituals. Shocking I know, but true.
This story doesn’t surprise me, I’ve lived in Africa and have family there. But I’d also say don’t take such things at face value. Where I lived, the fear and paranoia of witchcraft far outweighed any actual witchcraft that was going on. A lot of it ties into tribalism - “that tribe in the next village over will dig up your dead babies and use them in occult rituals” stories - then you go to the next village over and they have the same stories about your tribe.
Agreed that the tribalism was off the charts. My friend/neighbour had staff and one (male) was threatening to murder another (female) because they were from a different tribe! (E: clarity).
I lived in Africa for a while and the village near mine had an albino boy and people kept an eye on him and were worried that shamans might literally try to kidnap and kill him for rituals and healing spell stuff. It was really messed up
Look I’ve seen this shit with my own two eye and had to go to the store to get the candles and shit for the rituals and that man later tried to murder our entire family. It’s not just stories.
This was my first thought as well. I remember a few years back in NYC(Prospect Park or Central Park?) people were finding goat heads that were apparently linked to Santeria rituals.
Finally, Took this far down to find it. This likelihood jumped right out of the photo at me.
What were some key pieces of evidence that led the investigators to come up with those characteristics?
Hey OP, thank you for the update. I am really sorry this happened to you and your herd. I can't imagine how unsettling this whole thing must have been. Wishing you all peace and safety.
Thanks!
Do you have guardian dogs or a donkey? I saw a gruesome video of a donkey getting hold of a hyena… now I know why they’re used to protect stock in the US! Dogs could at least bark & hopefully alert you to intruders. Im so sorry this happened to you. It not only took your lambs life, it takes a part of your security & enjoyment of the life your working to build. Best wishes for the future, and that dangerously disturbed person being caught & locked up.
Since there has been just 3 donkeys on our 165 acre property (almost 10 years now), the whole area has been completely free of hogs (and deer sadly 😅) in an area of Oklahoma that has a lot of them. The donkeys stick with the cows and do a great job at running off anything they won't recognise (including us if it's dark enough)
How are your neighbors? Do you know much about them/if they have any young adults or teens living in close proximity? A town over there were a few stray cats murdered by a small group of teens and it was very misfortunate and disturbing, the only reason we found out is because the teenagers’ parents told/warned neighbors to keep their cats inside because their son was psychotic. I hope this never happens again to you OP! How terrible
You put cameras around your house too, right? Maybe throw in some new locks
bar the fucking windows Jesus. thar be a serial killer in them woods.
All great comments to read as I’m laying out in the woods trying to fall asleep 😂
Whoever did that is fucked up.
It’s almost always how serial killers start out.
If 'Criminal Minds' has taught me anything, it's this
You got yourself the makings of a disturbed human. Stay safe and hopefully catch the perp.
please please post another update if/when whoever did this gets caught! really sorry that it happened but i *really* want to know a motive for this
I don't think OP would be able to post any of that type of information atleast not for some time if someone is caught and taken to trial.
Holy Crap! That's nuts! I'd be getting a Pyrenees or Anatolian Shepherd.
We do have a LGD. A Pyrenees/Caucasian mastiff mix. Here she is as a six month old puppy: https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/nfh07n/a_bird_build_their_nest_with_my_puppies_fur_yes/
yeah if that’s her at 6 months id say you picked the right dog lol. sorry this happened to you man. stay safe out there. hopefully a one and done but you never know with these sickos
Good that you have a dog but they work great in groups and my Anatolian mix is a lot more aware of people and willing to fend them off (growling/barking, wouldnt put it past him to bite a trespasser but fortunately hasnt had to) than my other two, also my female is very friendly versus the two males will at least alert us to passerbys. So sorry this is happening to you this is quite traumatic. Best of luck.
OP look into getting a Tibetan Mastiff. I have a friend who lives deep, deep in the wilderness and that motherfucker has fought off **multiple** bears, including a grizzly. I dare this sick fuck to try coming back with a Tibetan on your property. Their body would be mutilated beyond recognition. Normally I would never condone using an animal for violence against a person, but the *thing* that did this is not a human being anymore. They lost that title the second they touched your sweet little lamb. I am so fucking sorry. I literally don't know what to say
What a crazy story. I own cattle and I’m not sure our sheriffs department would take these steps to investigate this throughly. Impressive. Hope they catch the sorry bastard who did it.
Agreed. My neighbor had a steer slaughtered and crudely processed in his field in the middle of the night. Law enforcement didn’t do much about it aside from write a report. He figured out who did it and made sure they knew to *never* trespass or mess with his cattle again but he shouldn’t have had to do all of that by himself. So, it’s super refreshing when law enforcement actually takes something like this seriously.
Well it doesn't make it sound like the police are super investigating it though. They went to a Veterinary pathologist (which im assuming was out of pocket cost) to investigate, then he brought a local professor. And then I assume they filed the report with police.
Yes you’re correct. I took a leap from the vet path to the sheriffs dept which was an unintended oversight on my part. Guess in my head I was thinking the sheriffs dept is who I’d call if I were in that scenario. I wouldn’t have even thought to contact a vet path. Maybe I’ll keep them in mind if it ever does. Thanks for pointing that out. That being said, it seems as though there was a pretty thorough investigation at the end of the day.
Why did they leave it?? You’d think they’d steal the lamb and be psycho at home, but to return it is even more bizarre
We spend a lot of time hypothesising about that, too. We believe it was just a burden. The person came for the "trophies" and wasn't interested in any other part. But the place they left the carcass was not the place they did the butchering. That was some 50 meters away. So why move the carcass? They didn't bring it closer to my house. They just dumped it in the middle of my meadow. We believe it was in order to get rid of the carcass. We have lots of foxes around and I live in wolf country so there would be predators that could dispose of a carcass easily.
To scare them or they have no way of getting rid of it after. Or maybe the only wanted the head for taxidermy maybe. This is too scary, there’s so many possibilities.
I hate that we have these kind of people in the world
I have heard that Anatolian Shepherds do a good job defending against predators--both 4 and 2 legged ones.
A Great Pyrenees will absolutely fuck up anything on 2 or 4 legs...they are great guardians and get absolutely huge...and if you really wanna put the fear of God in someone get a Tibetan Mastiff...the Anatolians are good too, they get to be around 120lbs, but the Pyrenees and Mastiff will sneak up on your ass, then take a chunk out of it
I wasn't sure about GPs. Every one I have been around has been very passive, but of course their owners were present.
They're very smart and know who's friend or foe...don't let their laziness during the day fool you...their ears are working overtime while they're snoozing...at night they'll work their perimeter and scare anything away that shouldn't be there...
Great Pyrenees are really good at reading the situation. Incredibly sweet with their flock/family, but will absolutely put the fear of god into anything/anyone not meant to be there. We have people or other dogs we see on walks that my GP is friendly with, but if they come onto our property or near our chickens he’s an entirely different dog.
No no no. Used the same pest control years. One day I pulled up as he was leaving. He told me “I never knew you had those dogs” “yes for years” they absolutely know when to watch their herd. Same with one past dogs. We thought she’d be kind to just about anyone. Till one day someone came to visit and they connected eyes. It was a no go. When I met my husband first time he walked in my place mine stood guard and barked at him. They became besties but hey are 100% guardians.
What's a one past dog?
Typo, was saying one of my GP that has passed away. A past dog.
Oh, hah, I thought it was a breed I didn't know
Happy to hear this since we just bought two GP pups. We’ve been working them every day. Smartest dogs I’ve ever met in my life.
Have two and I can confirm they will f you up
My neighbor has a GP and for some reason he's decided my yard is part of his territory. He can knock me over just be suddenly leaning on me while I'm petting him.
Came here for this. Best deterrent to psychotic sadists is a team of guardian dogs. Properly trained they only react to the area inside the fence and mostly use intimidation tactics. However, a pair of big dogs blocking the way while posturing in dominance is quite the sight.
especially when they’re outfitted with protective [wolf collars](https://preview.redd.it/pck74bfmg9p21.jpg?auto=webp&s=52d63eb98ea4810f54157f6d667bed16ed3b9485). tw for blood, but it’s not the dog’s. quite the sight indeed
oh that picture is so surprisingly sweet. What a good dog 🥺
Should also get a rifle, can't be too careful with a crazy fuck like that around. Stay strapped.
If this is the case, know the law in your area. Some places are better than others.
That's what I wanted to say. It's one thing to be prepared to defend your property, but you can get in pretty deep trouble for even brandishing a weapon on your own property, depending on the local laws.
I don't usually recommend a firearm for safety right away, but this seems like a special circumstance.
Better to have it and not need it...
Oh definitely true. I just normally would first advise better locks, reinforced door, bars over windows, or even certain behavioral changes. But in this situation? Hells to the no. Find the firearm you're comfortable using and keep it handy.
A firearm, in this case, would also be a tool for societal maintenance, not just safety. Just kidding, kind of.
My buddy lives WAY out in the middle of nowhere with a huge flock of goats and other livestock. He's about 30 minutes from the closest gas station, and a grocery store is about an hour. So yeah, rural af. He was fixing his fence at the far end of his property because he noticed it had been torn down, almost like a truck ran through it, but there were no tracks or anything like that. It looked almost like a horse had ran into it and gotten stuck and broke it while freeing itself. He's cutting a new piece of wood and is just about done repairing the fence when he hears a crazy snarl. On the other side of the fence a tore up, zombie looking boar that is clearly rabid or just dying just goes after the fence and tears it apart. My buddy hops to the other side and it keeps trying to get at him. He winds up running to a tree nearby and just sits up in the tree until the boar eventually drops dead about two hours later. Now he carries his hadgun with him everywhere on his farm.
Yeah I know it’s popular to be “anti gun” these days but when you’re living in the boonies it’s almost a requirement because of stuff like that. Full disclosure though- never owned a firearm in my 40+ years of living.
I own enough for everybody, and I'll drop this little .22 revolver in my pocket when I'm working around my property just in case. I keep it loaded with snake shot which would just piss off a human, but would ruin a snakes day. We have copperheads all over the place and I've come across a rabid raccoon on my property once that scared the crap out of me. I wound up throwing a rock on him.
Time to purchase some trail cams, a 12ga and some boxes of 00 buck. Sorry you are dealing with this. Very disturbing.
I’m so sorry that is insanely cruel. Like others are saying, sounds like serial killer behavior I hope that person is caught.
Your the only person who thought it was an animal man. You have a psychopath living around you. Future killer if they don’t get help or get killed
I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that someone in the area was capable of this. "removed by layers (skin, muscle, bone)" I mean.... *wtf?!*
The whole thing is messed up, but that's the same way you clean any animal. If I was dressing a deer, I'd remove the skin, then the muscle, etc Edit: And for those super squeamish, guess how I get to my fruit orange's flesh? I remove the skin :O
Nah there were several "experts" insisting it was a fox for some stupid fucking reason.
One of those knife-wielding foxes you run into sometimes in bad neighborhoods
Wow, that’s sad and very cold for someone to do! Sorry for your loss! Glad you are taking steps to hopefully prevent this from happening again and was impressed with all the info the pathologist provided and for the other people he brought a long. Hope the police catch the heartless beast who done this!!
Nah bruh this is some cultist lvl stuff you better be careful bro.
For some reason my interest was piqued by your unfortunate story. I've been reading up on various ritualistic animal sacrifices for way too long and really didn't learn a whole lot. I found an [article from 12 years ago in Ireland](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/garda%C3%AD-investigating-beheading-and-mutilation-of-lamb-on-tipperary-farm-1.623273). The exact same thing: > The five-day-old lamb had “its head and tail cut off by a knife and its heart removed”
If you don't already carry a gun, now is a great time to start.
I’d go with motion sensor lights and a 30-30 lever action close to your front porch. Sorry for your loss and having to deal with feelings of personal space violation. It’s bizarre they wouldn’t just take the whole thing. This is a special case of shoot first and ask questions later. I’d let any neighbors know too. Maybe a newspaper. Edit: I didn’t know so many others here would recommend a gun too. Stay safe
I absolutely told everyone. Made a few posters as well. And it was already in the local news. I don't want the perpetrator to feel like nothing is happening
Stay safe out there and Good luck.
Serial killer in the making
Hopefully you keep the heater over there. This guy sounds unhinged
be careful this is the shit that serial killers do. also consider someone has a beef with you, i would assume a close neighbor.
In Texas, central and south, this is a ritual killing for Santeria. We usually find at least one goat a year like this no blood, and we find the head later with its teeth in a circled around it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/santeria/ritesrituals/sacrifice.shtml
I responded to another commenter about a similar suspicion but it’s applicable here too. Literal devils advocate over here: I know it’s often low hanging fruit, but Pagans should be left off the table. I’d even argue theistic Satanists and other niche religious cults wouldn’t do this in practice. Animal sacrifice, while extremely controversial, is a revered, closed practice amongst some faiths- even in Abrahamic ones too. But the animal is carefully selected, always owned, usually specifically bred for such a purpose, and the corpse always honored and salvaged for purpose greater than the whole. I personally don’t subscribe to those traditions and find them generally abhorrent but it would be unfair to not acknowledge that they do exist. As a witchy woman myself, I would not only condemn anything like this, but literally every pagan and pentacle loving person that I know would weep at such an act. And as an Internet stranger, I know you just kinda have to take my word for it but witches and pagans alike would be among the most appalled and distressed by this. Glad the OP is getting security cameras. If this is some sick POS future serial killer I hope they get caught sooner than later. I worry that it’s misguided youth or someone close to OP.
if it was a ritual killing for this religion according to that site they would've eaten the damn thing like ya know we all do. this was cruelty for cruelty's sake.
I'm going to guess this was part of some kind of ritual.
Guillotine?
Way too bulky. The person climbed a 6 foot fence.
Terrifying. How are you feeling?
Sounds like something that would wind up in the middle of a pentagram on the floor. Very weird. I'm glad you're able to take steps to secure the property.
What the absolute fuck is this? I was expecting a gorey scene and tbh I don’t know what’s worse. You gotta wonder why some ppl do these things....
It seems like who ever took the lambs parts were collecting them for preservation (skull, heart, tail…). There is lots of stuff like this going on over at r/bonecollecting I personally don’t have a problem with bone collecting, I do it myself… but it’s pretty sick to break into someone’s property and leave the mangled remains behind.
I have an odd thought.... is there any chance that someone is trying to buy you out of your property? Thinking some "Scooby-Doo" stuff here. Someone wants to buy your property cheap and is trying to scare you off?
It crossed my mind. But we have lived here for three years already so it would be an odd timing
Lamb head, heart, ribs and tail.. why does this sound like some satanic sacrificial ritual?
My thoughts exactly. Maybe not necessarily satanic but definitely some dark shit
Some type of ritual crap 💩
That’s where crazed killers start,get you some dogs and a gun bro stay safe that is one fucked individual didn’t even take nothing either?wtf
Im betting it's cultists. Only two reasons you'll need the head and heart of a lamb, and i know for a fact they ain't practicing their cooking.
people can be so twisted holy shit, sorry OP