This article was published in the newspaper La Arena, La Pampa, Argentina, on April 23, 2002.
This is the third such case
GENERAL ACHA - Another cow turned up dead in a very strange way in a field of the General Acha region. As in previous cases, the animal was bloodless and was missing some organs. No traces were found on location and the causes of these deaths remain a source of mystery to investigators. During the recent discovery, despite the fact that the animal had been dead for days in the outdoors, it had not yet putrefied.
Mystery struck once more in a local pasture: the biggest event occurred in the El Huitru farm at some 70 kilometres from this city near provincial routes 115 and 18, where a dead cow was found with similar characteristics with the first two. It was bloodless and was missing an eye, jaw and tongue. The strangest aspect of the case is that authorities were unable to find an perpetrator for the crime committed at rural lot 16, section 9, of the Utracan department.
In a conversation with our newsroom, the main official of the local town hall, Roque Ceferino Estepa, reported that the cattleman claimed that between 06:00pm of the 14th and 05:00pm of the 15th of May, he had found one of his Aberdeen Angus cows, approximately 3 years old and weighing 450 kilograms, mutilated by unidentified people. Cattleman Dario Garcia alleged that the cow had been found completely deprived of its blood, without a tongue and missing a left ear, the jaw, an eye, its udders and vital organs.
He further claimed that in spite of the incisions made with sharp hot objects, given that the animal's fat was still warm, there were no traces of blood on the site. Police forces under the command of Officer Lucero went in the field together with veterinarian Juan Manuel Orterdag, who analyzed the strange death.
Instructional and Correctional Court No. 1 of General Acha, presided by Judge Manuel Alvarez, has intervened in the matter.
This is the third animal found mutilated in similar circumstances, which creates a shroud of mystery over the police investigation. The same happened only a few days ago at a ranch in the vicinity of Salliquelo, where police investigation has still been unable to find an answer.
