WILLIAMSON CO., Ill. - Williamson County Sheriff Bennie Vick would like to provide up-to-date information on the decapitated lamb found on a farm in rural Thompsonville earlier this week.
On Tuesday, June 19, the Sheriff’s Office received the report of the decapitated recently-born lamb.
Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office spoke with the property owners and examined the area. Investigators have also spoken with wildlife biology experts. Based on the information and evidence available at this time, there is no evidence that humans were involved in the death of this lamb.
Local experts believe that it is a strong possibility that a bobcat or similar animal would be able to enter the pasture without alarming the numerous farm dogs in the area. They also believe that an adult bobcat would have the size and strength to prey on a small fragile lamb.
While it may not be common for a predator to remove the head from its prey, experts say it is possible that initial strike and shake of a predator may have been enough to separate the head from the body of such a young lamb. It is also possible that a predator would have carried the head away if it were spooked or startled right after the kill.
Sheriff Vick wants people to know that there is not enough evidence of any kind for definite conclusions to be made, and that the Sheriff’s Office will continue to investigate this incident.