Cats found shot, gutted in Carlsbad

CARLSBAD, N.M. (KRQE) - Police in southeast New Mexico are looking for someone who has killed two cats.

The killer shot and gutted the animals and left them for everyone to see. Now authorities are concerned this type of crime could lead to something much worse.

Carlsbad police were called Wednesday after a resident reported a swarm of turkey vultures in a nearby park. What Carlsbad Police Sgt. Jason Griffin saw was disturbing.

"This is more severe than just shooting animals with a gun," Griffin said. "This was something intentional."

Lying in plain sight was a cat with a gunshot wound to the neck and what police describe as a clean cut across its abdomen. Its organs had been removed.

"The way the cuts were, it was done with something sharp, not consistent with something an animal could do," Griffin explained.

And it's happened before. Two weeks ago a cat with similar wounds was found blocks away.

That one was placed in someone's yard.

In both instances there was no blood trail. Police found the second cat in the middle of an open park, and they believe whoever placed it there did so in the middle of the night.

"We don't know if they're being placed in a place or just being thrown somewhere randomly or if they're being put specifically in places for maybe people or police to find them," Griffin said.

The owners of the first cat killed said it never missed a meal until the cat's body was found in a neighbor's front yard.

"We are taking it seriously, so that we could determine if this is something that could lead to something worse in the future," said Griffin.

Griffin said detectives are following up on some leads in hopes of finding answers behind the killings.

Police said whoever is responsible for the cat killings could be charged with extreme animal cruelty charges. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Carlsbad police.