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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Tooele County rancher has offered a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those who killed seven pregnant cows.
The dead cows were discovered on Dec. 29 by a neighbor who was putting up a fence on adjacent property along Utah 36 north of Vernon.
Sheriff's Detective Ron Johnson said the cows appeared to have been shot in the head and neck and were spread out across the range about 200 yards from each other.
The rancher said the cows were worth about $1,500 each.
"He definitely wants to find out who did it. He was pretty upset that somebody would just do that," said Johnson.
Investigators believe the cows may have been dead for as many as three days before they were discovered.
The owner told police there had been a lock on the gate to the property.
The lock was found about 25 feet from the gate and appeared to have been shot with a high powered weapon, Johnson said.
Shell casings were found near one of the animals, which were about 500 yards from the entrance to the property, and also at a location near the gate, Johnson said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
