Documents / FOIA release
This part of the FBI Animal Mutilation file covers 1979 to 1980 and includes FBI memoranda, letters to Senator Harrison Schmitt and Senate staff, and press clippings. At the Justice Department's request, the Albuquerque office investigated fifteen animal mutilations on Indian lands in New Mexico, but it did not identify anyone responsible. Kenneth Rommel, a former agent who directed the District Attorney's project, sent flakes from a pickup truck in Taos to the FBI Laboratory, which identified them as white exterior house paint.
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Memorandum Gow to Moore RE: THE MUTILATIONS OF 15 ANIMALS On March 6, 1979, the FBI, Albuquerque Division, was instructed to conduct an investigation into the mutilations of fifteen animals or any others that occur in Indian country in accordance with the aforementioned DOJ memorandum dated March 2, 1979. On April 20, 1979, a conference was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, concerning the problem of animal mutilations, primarily cattle, in which approximately 180 people attended who included various law enforcement agencies from several states, news media representatives, and the general public. Senator Schmitt chaired the conference and the U. S. Attorney, New Mexico, and SAC Forrest S. Putman, Jr., Albuquerque Division, were in attendance. SAC, Putman advised the conference that DOJ had given the FBI authority to investigate those cattle mutilations which have occurred or might occur in Indian country. During this conference, numerous theories were expounded concerning who is responsible for these mutilations including members of satanic cults, predators, pranksters, extraterrestrial visitors, and some unknown Government agency. At the conclusion of this conference, it was decided that one agency would be designated as the coordinating investigative agency for all jurisdictions involved. Subsequently during May, 1979, the District Attorney's Office for the greater Santa Fe, New Mexico, area received approximately $50,000 in LEAA funds to act as the coordinating investigative agency of cattle mutilations. Since March, 1979, there have been no new cattle mutilations in Indian country, and our investigation with respect to the identities of the individuals responsible for the fifteen cattle mutilations has been negative to date.
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FOIA release, from the fbi-vault collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 33 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.