Since the 1970s, bizarre murders and mutilations of cattle have been reported across the nation, primarily in the Midwest.In this photo (left) of a cow in Saguache County, Colorado in 1975, a female cow's utters have been removed with surgical precision.In a 1990 symposium proceeding Howe wrote: '…I found in so many eyewitness accounts of orange glowing objects the size of football fields hovering above pasturelands where mutilated animals were later found.Or beams of light observed shining down from 'silent helicopters' that lighted pastures 'brighter than daylight' and the next day mutilated animals were found.Though many theories have been offered it's a phenomenon that no one – not even the FBI – have ever been able to solve.In 1974, newspapers started to catch wind of these bizarre mutilations, which first took place primarily in extremely rural farmlands in the Midwest.In the image on the right, a cow was found with its tongue removed in July 2013 on a farm in Missouri Within the depths of the FBI's database of unsolved mysteries lies the graphic tale of these cattle murders, which outraged and petrified farmers for decades, and is still continuing today.Speculation surrounding who – or what – might be responsible for the killing and mutilation of thousands of cows has ranged from satanic worshipers, government agents, and even aliens.
The areas surrounding the excisions, often around the anus of the murdered animals, had a blackened and burned appearance to them – suggesting the use of a high-powered laser.
This prompted concerns that the mutilations, nicknamed 'mutes' by those familiar with the subject, were being propagated and covered up by the this image on the left, the cow's heart was excised with expert care - and was the third of three cattle mutilated on the same farm in Missouri beginning in 2011.
Theories of who, or what, might be responsible have ranged from satanic cults, aliens, and the government.
One such person is Linda Moulton Howe, the regional Emmy-winning filmmaker who the Watsons shared their story with for her documentary Earth Mysteries: Alien Life Forms.
She has been one of the most steadfast supporters of the alien argument.