Cattle mutilations were unheard of until 1967, when the discovery of a horse’s corpse sparked a wave of reported cattle mutilations.
On September 7, 1967, a horse named Lady, did not return home to the Harry King Ranch near Alamosa, Colorado. The ranch owner, Harry King, says Lady was a creature of habit, and he was concerned when she didn’t return for her water and treat as she does everyday, right on time.
Just two days later, Mr. King discovered her remains in a meadow a quarter-mile from the ranch house. Nicknamed by a local reporter, the mare became known as “Snippy” for the body’s horrific condition.
The neck and head had been detached from the rest of the body. The meat and hide were completely stripped of flesh, leaving only bleached-white bare bone. There wasn’t any material in the spinal column. The brain, heart, lungs, abdominal organs, and thyroid were all missing. Somehow, without any trace of blood on or around the body. The flesh appeared to have been removed with surgical precision.
Dr. Altshuler was an expert in the study of blood coagulation that examined the corpse on the scene. Years later he told a reporter “I have done hundreds of autopsies. You can’t cut into a body
without getting some blood. But there was no blood on the skin or the ground. No blood anywhere. The outer edges of the skin were cut firm, almost as if they had been cauterized by a modern day laser, but there was no cauterizing laser technology like that in 1967.”
The horse’s owner, Nellie Lewis, claimed she found green globs and a piece of metal covered in horse hair. She picked it up and found that it was extremely sticky. As soon as she dropped it, her hands became bright red, itching and burning.
A consistent report was that the bones turned bright pink, and the air was stained with a “sick-sweet smell like medicine” not the smell of decomposition. Not even a buzzard or vulture was interested in the body. Oddly, Snippy’s tracks were seen, stopping 100 feet from where her body rested. No other tracks were seen around the body.
As the family explored the area, they found 15 round exhaust marks on the ground. They also found a shrub that was squashed nearly flat, with the area around it also flatted 10 inches of the ground. Another flatted bush they came across had six indentations on the ground that were 2 inches across and 4 inches deep. The indentations formed a circle three feet in diameter.
A United States Forest Official came to examine the area and found that each exhaust mark, indentation, green glob, and the metal piece were radioactive. The ratings became higher the closer you got to the body.
The sheriff, Ben Phillips, said the horse was just struck by lightning. Even though he never stepped foot on the scene, and didn’t send any authorities to investigate. Lightning does emit gamma radiation, however it is short-lived, localized, and isn’t considered harmful to those on the ground.
Harry King’s mother, Agnes King, reported that she saw a very bright and fast object flying over the house the day that Skippy went missing. She swore the circumstances of this event could only lead to one thing- aliens. She was one of many UFO witnesses. Even two sheriff deputies claimed their car was followed by an orange glowing orb.
The gossip of UFOs and space aliens experimenting on Snippy spread around the town and was quickly picked up around the globe. This was the beginning of the cattle mutilation wave that began in Colorado, and spread to surrounding states. Although there are still reports to this day, the peak phased out in the 1980s.
Is that because aliens are no longer interested? Did they get enough meat to experiment and move on? Or was this one strange instance followed by a moment of hysteria?
I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Which is not surprising to those who know me.
My thoughts have changed from when I first researched this story about 10 years ago. There’s more we know now. I don’t believe every cattle mutilation has an otherworldly explanation.
I also think this circumstance is hard to debate, especially for the medical technology they were limited to in the late 60s. Not to mention, the location this took place. The San Luis Valley is flooded with paranormal phenomena that have fascinated me for years. But that’s a whole other rabbit hole for another post.
Regardless if this story is true or a hoax, R.I.P Snippy.
Bri Matts is the producer of the Contact In The Desert Conference and the Beyond Contact Podcast. Her interest in the UFO topic began with personal encounters, leading her “down the rabbit hole”. Bri first started attending Contact In The Desert in 2015 and never missed a show since. She also has a background in podcasting about UFO's, which became the path that enabled her to switch from behind the microphone, to behind the Contact In The Desert team. Bri firmly believes her unwavering passion, curiosity, and dedication to the integrity of the UFO phenomenon, is what manifested her life today.
