For decades someone or someones or SOMETHING has been killing cows in remote parts of central and eastern Oregon. The bodies are found mutilated, some of their organs having been surgically removed, and drained of blood. Investigators have ruled out shooting, stabbing, strangulation, animal attack, and even lightening strike as potential causes of death. The locations of the killings require extensive off-road travel to reach yet no tracks have been found. Theories range from clandestine cult ritual to alien research to just some weirdo. There are no leads and the killings continue.

I’ve been fascinated by the cow killings since I first read about them a few years ago. I was born and spent parts of my childhood in Eastern Oregon, and the personal connection combined with the bizarreness of the crime have given the mystery a permanent home in my mind. I can imagine walking through Ponderosa Pines to the top of a ridge, taking a deep breath of the clean desert dry air that carries sage and juniper, and realizing the only other person within a hundred miles might be a guy that’s spent decades stealthily killing cows and removing their udders.

In the audio episode I talk with my wife Shelly, a life-long true crime fan and self-described “murder connoisseur.” We review the evidence, explore theories, and outline a plan to finally crack the case.

Sources:

“Another Mutilated Cow In Central Oregon Rattles Ranchers”

“‘Not one Drop Of Blood’: Cattle Mysteriously Mutilated In Oregon”

“Investigators perplexed by death, mutilation of cow”

“Crook County steps up rural patrols after several cattle deaths, possible metalations”

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