On June 18 at 7:30 a.m., nine animals were reported dead in the Malaga area. The owner also told officials at the Eddy County Sheriff's office that some of the animals had been mutilated.
On-the-scene investigation was conducted by Deputy Tommy Box, who reported finding two dead pregnant nanny goats, one dead kid goat, and six dead chickens. All of the animals were discovered in the pen in which they lived. One of the goats was missing a teat. It had puncture wounds on its throat, and a 17-inch circle of hide was missing.
Deputy Box said the scene had been completely disturbed, since the carcasses had already been taken to the dump. However, he observed there were tracks in the pen, which he believed were made by a mountain lion. The deputy concluded that the damage had probably been done by a mountain lion, since these predators are not uncommon in the area. The number of animals killed, all of which were in a penned area, and the type of damage done is totally consistent with the normal behavior pattern for mountain lions.