The mutilation phenomenon escalated in 1976, according to some reporters. In addition, the target of mutilations seemed to shift from the eastern plains to northern New Mexico. Dulce, a small community in northern Rio Arriba County, received considerable attention that year as the result of an incident reported June 13. The case, which was investigated by the cattle inspector and a law enforcement officer, involved the discovery of a mutilated cow belonging to an area rancher. What made this "mutilation" so unusual was its alleged association with "a mysterious trail of suction cup-like impressions" (Albuquerque Tribune 1976).
In a story which appeared in the June 15 issue of the Albuquerque Tribune, the victim is described as a three-year-old cow, its sexual organs, ear, tongue, and lower lip having been removed with a sharp instrument. The article goes on to say there is no indication how the animal died. There was no sign of a struggle, only the strange tracks and an unknown oily substance, which the officer recovered from the ground near the carcass.
The article describes the track as consisting of a series of tripod-like indentations, each of which was approximately four inches in diameter and twenty-eight inches from the other two tracks. Each series of tripod marks were said to be about 28 inches apart. The law officer claimed that "the trail ended about 500 feet from the animal carcass, 'as if they had landed at that point, gone to the cow, and then returned to that point.' The article further reports that the owner had gone back to the area the next day and "found more depressions on top of the tire tracks made by his truck the day before."
Although mutilations were subsequently reported in other parts of the state, none seemed to generate as much interest or speculation as the Dulce incident. The story was covered not only in local and state newspapers, but also was circulated to other areas via United Press International (UPI). An account of the incident later appeared in different magazines, including UFO Report (Nelson 1978) and Alberta Report (1979). This case is also important in that it marks the first in a series of similar incidents investigated in the Dulce area. These cases, some of which involved the same rancher, were investigated in 1978.