The Black Vault releases FOIA files on Naselle cattle mutilation
On May 30, 2019, The Black Vault published police records and 911 audio regarding the 2017 Naselle cattle mutilation case. Investigator John Greenewald obtained the documents through Washington State public records requests. The files revealed law enforcement treated the incident as a criminal act rather than an anomalous event.
Background
John Greenewald initiated the records request following discussions with retired police officer Lt. Tim McMillan regarding state-level transparency laws. The obtained material included the original 911 call reporting the mutilation and radio dispatch communications. Greenewald redacted personal addresses and phone numbers from the release as a courtesy to the ranch owner, despite their status as public record.
Analysis of the police report led to the conclusion that the incident involved human perpetrators who shot the animal before mutilating it. The investigation served as a test case demonstrating the effectiveness of state sunshine laws for obtaining law enforcement records on unusual incidents. The published documents included incident reports and audio files totaling 5.84 MB of data.
Source: Via TheBlackVault.com (FOIA).