Crook County steps up rural patrols after several cattle deaths, possible mutilations

Urges livestock growers to be 'vigilant,' report any suspicious activity

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Crook County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday it’s investigating several suspicious cattle deaths and possible mutilations in rural eastern and southern parts of the county over the past week. The agency said it plans extra patrols and urged ranchers to be vigilant.

“This area is very rural ranch land, as well as public BLM land,” Undersheriff James Savage said in a brief news release. “The cause of these cattle deaths were not natural and are under investigation.”

Sgt. Mitch Madden told NewsChannel 21 there have been at least three, possibly four such cases, and that “certain body parts were removed from the cows.”

The undersheriff added, “The sheriff’s office would like to encourage our stockgrowers to be vigilant in checking on their animals and to report any suspicious activity to us.”

“The sheriff’s office will be providing extra patrols to the rural portions of the county in an attempt to locate who is responsible,” Savage wrote.

Anyone seeing any suspicious person or vehicle in the area is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 541-417-6398.

There have been several reports in recent years of cows and bulls with body parts and organs removed in Harney, Wheeler and Umatilla counties.

The FBI has files on thousands of mysterious cattle killings and mutilations across the U.S. since the 1970s, but no reported arrests.