By Lee Trawick Riverbend News
On Monday, May 24, the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) received a phone call that sounded similar to a phone call they had received back in March, about 70 heads of cattle that had gone missing.
While that incident was a single target investigation, there wasn't a lot to go on, as the farmer who called in the report, admittedly, wasn't sure of exactly how many were missing. The farmer told officers his cows were not fenced in and had the liberty to run free through his woods. The farmer based his number of missing cows as an estimate of what he should have at that time, according to his records of pregnancy and progression of his herd.
Deputies with the SCSO were doing their due diligence, following up with any leads possible, but admitted the investigation seemed to not gain much ground, with very little to go on. However, that particular case has now gained interesting traction by another farmer, who has now called to report 19 commercial Brangus documented cows were stolen from his fenced-in property at 14227 171st Rd., in Live Oak.
Upon receiving the call, the SCSO began their investigation into the connections between this case and the one from March. According to deputies, the owner states he last checked his cattle on Thursday, April 1 and all were present and accounted for. However, on Monday, May 24, the farmer noticed his herd was light by 19 cows. The farmer also said all 19 Brangus cows are one to four months bred, all of which are tagged with either yellow or white ear tags. Five, he said, have been branded with numbers of 11, 14, 99, 111 and 113 on their left side. The farmer also told deputies both his front gate was secure, but his back gate was not as secure as the front.
Sheriff Sam St. John with the SCSO says they are following several leads and looking to talk to several people of interest, some to eliminate them as a possible suspect if nothing else. When asked if the two cases are being looked at as possibly being tied together, Sheriff St. John said, "Yes, we are looking at both cases together at this point. We have several leads and several suspects. We are looking at all the evidence and following it towards a direction we are confident in."
Sheriff St. John would like everyone to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity and any trucks and trailers that look out of place. Sheriff St. John advises farmers and residents to be diligent and stay aware of anything that looks out of place. He also advises farmers to take the time to monitor their herds closely and daily while the investigation is on going. Anyone with information regarding this case should contact the SCSO at (386) 362-8330, using the case number SCSO21OFF001018.