Montana authorities are investigating a curious cattle mutilation undoubtedly committed by a sinister miscreant yet eerily similar to the classic phenomenon that has mystified investigators for decades. The confounding case reportedly came to light last week via a bulletin from the Chouteau County Sheriff's Office. The unfortunate cow in question was said to have been slain under unusual circumstances at a ranch near the town of Big Sandy. Specifically, in a manner akin to the classic cattle mutilation phenomenon, the animal's tongue had been inexplicably removed and its jaw skinned.

However, in an odd detail contrasting the myriad of mysteriously mutilated cattle cases that have come before, in this instance, it was clear that the perpetrator was a person as the cow had also been shot with a gun. Alas, the announcement from the sheriff's office was short on additional details as they explained, "in order not to compromise the investigation, specifics will not be released." That said, they did not that there have been two, presumably recent, additional cases "similar to this" that occurred outside the county.

While how the cow was killed almost certainly precludes the possibility that aliens were responsible for the incident, who the humans were and why they committed the dastardly deed remains uncertain. Given the similarities to the cattle mutilation modus operandi, which itself is an enigma, one is left to wonder if the strange slaying in Chouteau County had the same inscrutable intentions behind it. Hoping for some answers to the multiple mysteries surrounding the case, the Sheriff's Office understandably asked for the public to contact them with any tips on the downed cow.