A macabre mystery involving the death of over a dozen cattle in a single day has stumped a Colorado rancher and state authorities investigating the case. The eerie incident reportedly occurred on May 8th at a property near the community of Coal Creek. That now-unforgettable day began when rancher Kerri Higgs and her husband discovered that a trio of cattle had inexplicably perished overnight. Concerned about the rest of their herd, they moved the remaining animals closer to an area near their home for observation. It was then that things took a weird and rather gruesome turn. "They started flopping over and dying," Higgs recalled, "it was pretty bad."

All told, the couple lost 15 cattle that fateful day, which prompted an exhaustive investigation by authorities that has come up short so far. To that end, tests of rainwater ingested by the animals, the soil where they roamed, and even the air around and above the property all produced no clues as to what could have killed so many creatures in such a short time. Blood tests from one of the downed cattle also only furthered the mystery. "We're not getting any conclusive results," Mykel Kroll of the county's Office of Emergency Management explained, "we're running out of boxes to check," which has left authorities "scratching our heads."

The futility of the investigation has understandably dismayed Higgs, who lamented that "it's beyond frustrating." Beyond the baffling nature of the incident, the cost of losing so many animals at once has devastated the ranch as each perished heifer was valued at around $5,000 or a staggering $60,000 total. While authorities pledged to continue investigating the case, samples from the downed cattle are beginning to dwindle, which raises the possibility that the mystery may never be solved. "Maybe we don't find out the cause" of the curious event, Kroll conceded, musing "are there always answers? No." For her part, Higgs acknowledged this dispiriting scenario, indicating that she "won't be surprised" if the matter remains punctuated by a maddening question mark.