Tame deer decapitated at sanctuary
Houston, TX (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008
County: Harris

Disposition: Alleged

Alleged: Brandon Eugene Gregory

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Precinct 5 deputies on Tuesday were looking for the person responsible for decapitating a deer at a wildlife sanctuary at Bear Creek Park.

Deputies said someone waded through a mile of marshland overnight to get to the back fence of the sanctuary, where they cut open the fence and killed the deer with some kind of instrument.

Deputies say the person then cut the animal's head off.

"If you're gonna eat the meat, you take the body not the head," said J.J. Laine, Harris County Precinct 5 Assistant Chief. "We don't know if it's a trophy thing, if it's a ritual thing. We just, at this point, don't have any idea why it was done. It's just so senseless."

The deer, named Mister Buck, had been at the sanctuary since 2001. He was tame and very popular with staff and visitors.

"Killing something that is behind gates, trained to come up to people, that's wrong, that's wrong," said James Fuller.

Fuller and his dogs visited the park almost daily -- primarily to see Mister Buck.

"You know you're gonna see the deer, know it's gonna come to you," Fuller remembered. "He'd walk with me along the fence like he was my animal.

A game warden with Texas Parks and Wildlife brought a bloodhound named Clue to the site Tuesday, and he quickly honed in on the perpetrator's scent.

Authorities said the dog can now compare that scent to any eventual suspects, no matter how long it takes.

"We know who you are. We've got your scent. We will find you," warned Laine.

Fuller thinks the killer was probably after Mister Buck's antlers.

Parks and Wildlife officials were alerting all local taxidermy shops about the crime.

Anyone with information is asked to call the state's game theft hotline at 800-792-GAME (4263) or Harris County Precinct 5 at (281) 842-8100.

Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction. You can call the tip hotline at 713-222-8477 or submit tips online at crime-stoppers.org.

Law officers and others shocked by the brutal crime are hoping someone will come forward. "It hurt a lot of people. That's all I can say," Fuller said. "It hurt me."

Case Updates

References

• « TX State Animal Cruelty Map
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