Since the 1960s, animals have been found lying dead in fields with their bodies mutilated. No blood, tracks or signs of struggle are found around the dead animal. The marks found on the animals are not consistent with attacks by predators such as wolves or coyotes. Instead, the incisions and removal of internal organs is made with great surgical precision and in some cases there is evidence that high heat (maybe a high powered laser) has been used to cut the tissues.

The first animal mutilation reported by international media was an Apaloosa mare named "Lady" found dead and stripped of flesh from the neck up on September 9, 1967 in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado. A pathologist confirmed that all chest organs had been removed and the excisions had been made with high heat. Cattle are usually the target of the "mutilators"but other animals such as this horse [14 yr old gelding found June 22, 1993 - Raymer, Colorado] have been found with similar marks.

Steer found January 31, 1992 in Caldwell, Kansas. Jaw flesh, bone and teeth had been excised in bloodless, oval cuts. The excisions had been cut with high heat, hot enough to cook the hemoglobin.

Three month old male calf, found in Harding County, South Dakota on May 26, 1993. A perfectly circular excision had been made removing the hide, genitals, navel and rectum. The bottom lip, one ear, one eye and tongue had also been cut away. None of the meat was taken and the tears were not jagged which rules out predation by wild animals.

A microscopic examination of a mutilated cow's blood shows that the hemoglobin has been "cooked" with high heat. The top part of the picture shows normal cow blood, while the bottom part shows the "cooked" hemoglobin from one of the incisions on a mutilated cow! In addition to high heat at the excision lines, occasionally the internal organs are dry and bloodless when vets do necropsies.