Across quiet farming communities nationwide, a chilling mystery has baffled ranchers and law enforcement for decades, possibly even over a century. Cattle, and occasionally other livestock, are discovered lifeless in pastures, strangely positioned and completely drained of blood. Their tongues and reproductive organs are surgically removed, yet there's an eerie absence of blood or any other evidence at the scene.

Since the 1970s, these unsettling incidents have been reported in various states, including Minnesota, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, and others. Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes of the Wheeler County Sheriff's Office in Oregon, who has handled five such cases in recent years, admits, "There are more questions than answers." Killing livestock is a felony, but these cases remain stubbornly unsolved, with no tangible leads.

Colby Marshall, a former ranch manager, encountered five mutilated bulls in 2017. He noted the unusual absence of scavenger activity, with the carcasses left untouched, eventually decomposing on the spot. The precision of the organ removal and lack of blood puzzled him, contrasting sharply with his own experience butchering cattle.

While the 1970s saw a surge in media coverage of these events, with the Colorado Associated Press even ranking them as the top story, historical accounts suggest similar occurrences dating back to the late 19th century, as documented in Chris O’Brien's book "Stalking the Herd: Unraveling the Cattle Mutilation Mystery."

Theories abound, ranging from extraterrestrial involvement, as explored in the Netflix docuseries "Investigation Alien," to government experiments and even vengeful ranchers. Sgt. Holmes, initially skeptical of alien theories, acknowledges the possibility of unknown entities, even on Earth, being responsible. Marshall, while believing in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, leans towards a human explanation, suspecting a clandestine group or cult using the animal parts for rituals.

The FBI investigated these mutilations between 1974 and 1978 but reached no definitive conclusions. The vastness of ranches and the remote locations of the incidents often hinder investigations, as decomposition sets in before a thorough examination can be conducted. Even in cases where fresher carcasses are found, like Marshall's, necropsies have yielded no clear answers. The lack of scavenger activity further deepens the mystery.

Both Marshall and Holmes are eager for a resolution to this enduring puzzle. A $25,000 reward offered in Marshall's case yielded no results. They encourage open discussion and information sharing, hoping to shed light on this perplexing phenomenon and finally uncover the truth behind the cattle mutilations.