1979 investigations; Rommel final report June 1980 / T139
Cattle-mutilation investigations: FBI jurisdiction and the separate Rommel project
New Mexico and wider western / midwestern reporting networks
Witness account
Repeated reports of dead cattle with missing soft tissues, apparent precise cuts and little visible blood generated widespread alarm during the 1970s. Explanations proposed by different participants included scavenging, human crime, cult activity and UFO involvement. The existence of unusual-looking carcasses should be distinguished from each proposed cause.
Public record
Released FBI papers describe a limited investigation involving jurisdiction on Native American lands in New Mexico. Kenneth Rommel, a retired FBI agent, separately led a federally funded New Mexico inquiry; his retirement history does not turn that project into an FBI operation. His 1980 report emphasized natural deaths and predator or scavenger damage in the cases examined.