Laramie County Sheriff’s Office: Someone ‘Deliberately’ Leaving Dead Animals in Same Spot

A strange pattern of dead animals being left in the same spot has the Laramie County Sheriff's Office reminding folks that depositing or placing dead animals into rivers, ditches, railroad right-of-ways, highways or public grounds is illegal in Wyoming.

35-10-101. Depositing or placing refuse matter, dead animals and garbage into rivers, ditches, railroad rights-of-way, highways or public grounds prohibited; exception.

 

The depositing, placing, or causing to be placed or put, the carcass of any dead animal or the offal or refuse matter from any slaughterhouse, butcher shop, meat market, packing house, fish house, hog pen, stable, or any spoiled meats, spoiled fish, or any animal or vegetable matter in a putrid or decayed condition or which is liable to become putrid, decayed or offensive, or the contents of a privy vault, or any refuse or garbage, or any offensive matter or substance whatever upon or into any river, creek, bay, pond, canal, ditch, lake, stream, railroad right-of-way, public or private roadway, highway, street, alley lot, field, meadow, public place or public ground, or in any other and different locality, building, or establishment in this state so located that the said substance shall directly or indirectly cause or threaten to cause the pollution or impairment of the purity and usefulness of the waters of any spring, reservoir, stream, irrigation ditch, lake or water supply whether surface or subterranean, which are used wholly or partly as a source of public or domestic water supply, or where the same may become a source of annoyance to any person, or within one-half mile of any inhabited dwelling, or within one-half mile of any public roadway, by any person or persons, association of persons, company or corporation, incorporated city, incorporated or unincorporated town in the state of Wyoming, or the knowingly permitting of such acts by the owner, tenant, or occupant of said places, upon, into, or on said places, or the permitting of said offensive substances or other offensive substances to remain thereon or therein, shall be unlawful and is hereby declared to constitute a nuisance detrimental to the public health and general welfare of the citizens of Wyoming, provided that no present or future operation of any existing municipal garbage disposal system or any extension of or changes therein, which involves substantially daily burning, and no present or future operation of any now existing municipal sewage disposal system or facilities or any extension of or changes therein, shall be considered as within the scope of the foregoing provisions of this act or as a violation thereof but further provided that the foregoing exception concerning any existing municipal garbage disposal system, whether or not such involves substantially daily burning, shall not be applicable to or except from the scope of this act, any such system which has been commenced since prior construction in the close vicinity thereof, of occupied residential buildings or occupied business properties, ten [(10)] or more in number.

According to a department Facebook post, since April, Cheyenne Animal Control has been called to South Greeley Highway and East Nation Road six times to pick up dead animals that appear to have been deliberately placed there.

There are also additional reports dating back to 2022, the Sheriff's Office says.

"One incident involved two raccoons and a skunk, found neatly arranged side by side," the post reads. "All carcasses have been found fully intact, with no signs of injury or blood trails, indicating that they were purposefully left at this specific location."

Pattern Catches Attention

The Sheriff's Office says this is a pattern that has caught Cheyenne Animal Control's attention and residents' attention.

"We encourage residents who live or travel near South Greeley Hwy and East Nation Road to report any suspicious activity in the area," the post reads. "Please contact animal control at 307-637-6206 with any questions or information."