OREGON NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
Recent deaths of six cows in Crook County, and
possible mutilations, puzzle police, veterinarian
By Garrett Andrews
The (Bend) Bulletin
BEND — The udders ap-
peared to have been removed
with precision — straight,
even cuts, as if made by a
sharp object.
The reproductive systems
had been cut out cleanly as
well, and without disturbing
other organs.
There was no indication of
predator activity and perhaps
strangest of all, scavenging
animals appeared to have
hardly touched these six cow
carcasses found in a seven-
day span this year on ranch-
land in rural Crook County.
Detectives with the Crook
County Sheriff’s Offi ce,
longtime ranchers and a
Prineville veterinarian who
reviewed evidence from an
ongoing case say they’re
stumped by the “unnatural”
deaths.
But the mutilated cattle
might be more ordinary than
they seem, according to Brian
Dunning, a Bend-based pod-
caster committed to defl ating
wild claims.
“This reads like a very typi-
cal case,” he said.
Crook County Sheriff John
Gautney said his offi ce has
no leads but cautioned there’s
“no reason to panic.”
“We’ve had cases like this
over the years,” Gautney said.
“They seem to come in groups
and then go away. We are not
speculating on how these are
happening, as we try to keep
an open mind and look at all
possibilities.”
removed near the stomach.
All four udders were cut off
and its left cheek, tongue and
sex organs removed. Between
the front legs an uneven
patch of hair was missing
and in the middle was a prick
mark, Sanchez wrote in his
report.
The next day, Crook Coun-
ty’s Sgt. Timothy Durheim
was dispatched to a report of
a wolf kill at the McCormack
Ranch on SE Bear Creek
EO Media Group File Photo Road. But it was apparent no
Police have called the recent deaths of six cows in Crook wolf took down this cow.
County “unnatural.”
Durheim noted sev-
eral straight incisions on the
Mutilated cattle have been no blood surrounding it. The
animal. One udder had been
reported in the American
cow’s left cheek, tongue and
removed and a circular cut
West since at least the 1960s. three of its teats had been cut was made around the anus
There have been multiple
away cleanly. But the eyes,
and the reproductive organs
recent cases of bull mutila-
usually the fi rst body part
removed without punctur-
tions in Harney, Wheeler and to be scavenged after death,
ing the gut. The left cheek,
Umatilla counties in Eastern were untouched. There were left eye and tongue had been
Oregon. But now, beef cattle
no bullet holes and a scan of
removed.
have turned up dead in the
the cow by a metal detector
“Again, I noted straight,
remote ranchlands outside
turned up none.
clean incisions where the
Prineville bearing signs com-
The cow was about 200
cheek had been,” Durheim
mon to the cattle mutilation
yards from the road, near
wrote in his case report.
phenomenon.
the edge of a fi eld and some
Durheim examined the
The current string of cases juniper trees. There were no
carcass and found a puncture
began Feb. 27, when Crook
vehicle tracks near the dead
wound between the neck and
County Sheriff’s Offi ce deputy animal, no footprints of any
shoulder. He found no bite
Scott Durr was dispatched to kind.
marks.
suspicious circumstances at
The mystery deepened a
“There were no apparent
the 96 Ranch on SE Van Lake few days later. On March 4,
animal or human tracks im-
Road. Owner Rickey Shannon Casey Thomas, manager of
mediately surrounding the
said one of his herd had been the GI Ranch on Lister Road carcass, and only minimal
discovered dead two days
in Paulina, reported that one blood in the area,” Durheim
earlier with an odd cut down of his herd of around 5,000
wrote. “I know from personal
its spine.
appeared to have suffered a
experience that if an animal is
Shannon, who lives on
strange death.
killed or scavenged by preda-
the ranch with his two sons,
Crook County detective Ja- tors, there is typically a large
reported no predators or
vier Sanchez arrived to fi nd a bloody messy area surround-
birds had touched the cow.
deceased Black Angus cow ly- ing the carcass.”
There were no tracks, and
ing on its side. Hair had been
On March 6, Casey Thomas
LANDMARK
Continued from Page 3A
“We don’t have the top-down
ability or will to enforce the kinds
of precautions that are required to
keep people safe,” said Herivel. “It’s
this attitude (among prison staff)
that comes with, ‘You’re not going
to tell me what to do.’ But the most
serious way to spread the virus is
through staff, who are the vec-
tors coming in and out. If they can
choose to not wear masks and there
are people that can be infected, then
they are still a lethal threat.”
Herivel said that hesitance on the
part of Department of Corrections
leaders to discipline their offi cers
likely has to do with understaffi ng
that the agency has experienced
throughout the pandemic.
“The Department of Corrections
really capitulated to the union,” she
said.
According to Herivel, her group
reached out to the union to join
the effort to make the prison more
safe, thinking that “nobody wants
to spread disease.” She said they
couldn’t connect with union repre-
sentatives.
Offi cer Alan MacLean, an SRCI
offi cer and president of the local Or-
egon AFSCME Corrections union,
didn’t respond to a request for com-
ment from the Enterprise.
However, emails included in court
fi lings showed Oregon Department
of Corrections offi cials begging staff
to comply with masking recommen-
dations.
“Team, I need your help,” said
Heidi Steward, agency deputy direc-
tor wrote in an email dated July
13. Steward warned her staff that
the agency was facing legal action
“for not following our face covering
protocol” and implored offi cers to get
on board.
ARREST
Continued from Page 1A
Colton wrote that after he
arrived at the property about
9:43 p.m., he tried to talk to
Crews, and “a struggle ensued”
“It is becoming diffi cult to stand
our ground on our current directive
(regarding masks), as not all of us
are following it. If we do not pull
together and wear our face cover-
ings when we can’t maintain 6 feet
of social distancing, we may be man-
dated to wear masks at all times.”
Steward’s warning was prescient.
By November, all prison offi cers
were required to wear a mask
on duty at all times regardless of
distancing.
Dr. Mark Baskerville, an ICU doc-
tor with Oregon Health & Science
University who has been an expert
witness for inmates suing the state,
said that social distancing was vir-
tually impossible in a prison setting.
“You can limit how many people
sit at tables, and put dots on the
fl oor for the med line, but a lot of
this is in a kind of dormitory setting
where you can reach your arm out
and touch your bunkmate,” he said.
But Herivel said that at SRCI,
there had been more chance than at
other prisons for social distancing
because it is a newer, larger facility.
She said that the 13 COVID deaths
that have occurred there seemed
especially tragic given that context.
“They could’ve prevented the out-
break and the deaths more easily
than other facilities. It was not just
hesitancy, but refusal to comply to
a lot of these standards that ended
in completely preventable deaths,”
she said.
“The overarching theme was
that a lot of what they were doing
was haphazard and inconsistent at
times,” said Baskerville. “The virus
is going to exploit any weak link in
your system.”
Because of its relatively advanced
medical infrastructure, SRCI has
become the receiving facility for
prisoners with COVID across
Oregon. Yet, as at other institu-
between the two. Colton
wrote that he “drove (Crews)
backwards to the couch and
ultimately onto the floor where
he was placed in handcuffs.”
Colton wrote that he later
talked to Crews’ mother, Paula,
tions in the Oregon Department of
Corrections, prisoners who report
COVID symptoms are isolated in
the Disciplinary Segregation Unit,
otherwise known as “the hole.”
The threat of being sent to the
hole created what Baskerville called
“a conspiracy of silence.”
“The inmates don’t want to tell
anyone that they’ve got a cough
or they have symptoms of CO-
VID because they essentially get
punished for it,” Baskerville said.
“Having talked to a lot of inmates,
it’s like, ‘Listen, I’d rather just take
my chances than be sent to the hole
for 14 days. If I told them I have
the symptoms of COVID, I would
be treated the same way as if I
punched a guard.’”
The judge in the SRCI case was
persuaded by testimony that that
was the case.
“Plaintiff and defense evidence
established that AICs hide symp-
toms to avoid placement in the
(hole) and that some AICs threaten
others against reporting symptoms
of illness,” according to the ruling.
The ruling questioned the reli-
ability of the medical care given at
SRCI.
The prison’s chief medical offi cer,
Dr. Garth Gulick, testifi ed under
oath “that he did not believe that fe-
ver was an indication of COVID-19
infection.” That contradicts guid-
ance from the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention on
management of COVID in detention
settings.
Gulick also testifi ed that he
believed that COVID testing was
“harmful” and said that it “can be
the enemy,” again despite CDC
guidance showing otherwise.
“Dr. Gulick’s opinions on fever as
a symptom of COVID-19 and the
effi cacy of testing at stopping the
spread of the virus undermines the
and father, Bill, and to another
man, Johnny Scott Weldon, who
told Colton that he also had an
altercation with William Crews.
Paula Crews told Colton that
prior to police arriving, her son
had wrapped his arms around
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reliability of his medical opinion on
the many relevant questions of fact
related to this topic,” according to
the ruling.
Black said that the agency
disagrees with the judge’s fi ndings
regarding Gulick.
“Dr. Gulick and his team have not
only provided frontline COVID-19
care to all adults in custody (AICs)
in Eastern Oregon since the begin-
ning of the pandemic, but have also
taken extraordinary measures to
ensure continuity of care for non-
COVID-19 medical conditions,” said
Black. “SRCI will continue to rely on
Dr. Gulick for his extensive medical
training, knowledge, and expertise.”
The agency’s top chief medical of-
fi cer, Dr. Warren Roberts, also came
under attack this year in a January
habeas corpus case in which Marion
County Circuit Judge Claudia Bur-
ton highlighted Roberts’ history of
malpractice. Roberts was the subject
of a formal complaint by the Oregon
Board of Medical Examiners, and
was at one point ordered to stop
performing surgeries.
“Dr. Roberts’ technical compe-
tence as a physician is at least
questionable,” the judge wrote. “I
agree with plaintiff that Dr. Roberts
is an unreliable witness who lacks
credibility.”
Baskerville said that during
COVID, it is particularly egregious
how medical staff at the Oregon De-
partment of Corrections has forced
medically vulnerable prisoners to
ration albuterol inhalers, used to
treat asthma and other lung condi-
tions.
Even during the pandemic,
inmates have been prescribed inhal-
ers that cannot be refi lled as often
as medically needed, forcing them
to either use the inhaler less than is
necessary or risk running out. This
issue came up in the court ruling,
her and secured her wrists, and
that she had fallen down with
her son landing on her. She also
told Colton that William Crews
had dragged her through the
house by her arm and her hair.
According to Colton’s report,
ing cattle mutilation in 2015.
Dunning, who read the 28-
page search warrant request,
called the recent Crook
County case typical of numer-
ous accounts often attributed
to aliens or satanic rituals.
“This is almost certainly
the same kind of bird preda-
tion we’ve seen in so many
similar cases,” he wrote to The
Bulletin. “In my opinion, there
is nothing here that suggests
anything but normal and ex-
pected bird predation had oc-
curred, and ... no justifi cation
for a search warrant to seek
out an apocryphal human
responsible for the wounds.”
Dunning said he’s learned
there’s actually a short win-
dow of time between when
the animal dies and when
its body is scavenged when
it’s obvious what killed the
animal.
“Most particularly birds,
and also some insects, will
always go fi rst for the exposed
soft tissue: eyes, tongue, lips
and mouth area, genitals. The
animal is dead with zero blood
pressure so there is never
signifi cant bleeding from post
mortem wounds. The body is
in the process of drying and
decaying, so skin pulls tight
from around the excised area,
giving the impression of a
perfect surgical cut.”
Karlin is awaiting the
results of liver and blood
samples she’s sent away for
lab testing. Police have sent
hair samples to the state
crime lab on the chance they
don’t belong to the bovine.
and according to Baskerville, it is
widespread.
“The worst case scenario is using
their cellmate’s inhaler if they’re low
or running out,” said Baskerville.
“That’s probably the worst way to
spread (COVID).”
Baskerville, Herivel, and Ed-
wards also concurred that Oregon
prisons regularly ignore common
hygiene practices like handwashing
in their design.
Edwards said the inmates fre-
quently don’t have access to soap
and even then “they don’t have
anything to dry their hands on, so
they dry them on toilet paper, or on
their dirty clothes.”
Then there is the vaccine. The
Oregon Department of Corrections
estimated that 45% percent of
staff would refuse the vaccine, and
incomplete available fi gures show
the actual vaccination rate as closer
to 35%, according to reporting by
the Willamette Week. On the other
hand, 69% of inmates have accepted
the vaccine since one lawsuit in Feb-
ruary resulted in making it avail-
able immediately to all inmates.
Herivel said the government was
remarkably ineffi cient by engag-
ing in costly litigation to fend off
claims of improper care that in some
instances were subsequently proven
founded.
“I think it’s extraordinary that we
have had to use these singular cases
and also this class-action case to get
our prison systems to take mini-
mally basic protective steps which,
from what we hear from our reports,
really haven’t been effectuated to
date,” she said.
Edwards echoed that.
“All they’re asking for is for the
facilities to adhere to CDC guide-
lines,” she said. “It’s shocking to me
that (inmates) have to go to court to
achieve that.”
Bill Crews and Weldon tried
to help Paula Crews, and both
had a physical altercation with
William Crews.
Colton wrote that when he
arrived at the jail, Crews tried
to run away from him and from
Cpl. Dennis Lefever, and then
“resisted the entire way to the
cell.”
Lefever sustained an injury
to the big toe on his left foot that
caused minor bleeding, accord-
ing to Colton’s report.
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called police back to report
fi nding another dead cow
bearing the same strange
injuries. This one was more
badly decomposed than the
fi rst but its left cheek was also
removed and a 2-inch patch
had been cut into the hair on
its neck.
Detectives took photos of
the dead cows to Prineville
veterinarian Dr. Taylor Karlin
for her perspective. She
agreed the deaths appeared
unnatural and her opinion
was included in a search war-
rant request fi led in the case
to scan for cell phone activity
near where the cows were
found.
Charges in any of the
cases could include trespass-
ing and aggravated animal
abuse. With the cattle valued
at $1,250 to $1,400 each,
criminal mischief might also
be charged.
As a vet with an interest
in large animals, Karlin has
performed many post-mortem
examinations on deceased
livestock. When, and if,
another mutilated cow turns
up in Crook County, Karlin
has agreed to perform an ap-
propriate necropsy so she can
personally examine a fresh
specimen if another turns up.
“I wish I had an answer,”
she said. “We’re kind of at a
loss.”
One possible explanation
is these were, in fact, natural
deaths.
Podcast host Dunning’s
long-running show Skeptoid
devoted an episode to debunk-
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