Forensic scientists ID mutilated animal remains found at Fremont train station; skeptics remain
Mutilated animal remains at Fremont train station belonged to a sheep
Mutilated animal remains at Fremont train station belonged to a sheep. Plus, a rat dropped from the ceiling of a Union City high school.
FREMONT, Calif. - The decapitated and eviscerated remains of some kind of animal left on a park bench at the Centerville Train Station in Fremont has stumped authorities for the last week, leaving some to wonder whether some sort of satanic cult was involved.
But UC Davis forensic scientists were able to solve the April 13 mystery.
According to Fremont police, the scientists determined that the animal remains belonged to a common Dorper sheep, and that there is no evidence of "nefarious or ritualistic activity."
Police on Tuesday said they were suspending the case because there is no evidence of a crime.
The body of a decapitated animal was left on a bench at the station on April 13. There were several other bags also located next to that bench, and a second decapitated animal was found in one of the bags, and internal organs were found in another.
At the time, KTVU interviewed Dirk Lorenz, who rents out space at the station, and said the find was "exceedingly sickening."
Lorenz also said that there appeared to be an upside down cross discovered next to where the animals were found.
Police did not mention any cross in their public update on Tuesday, nor did they immediately respond to KTVU's inquiries on Wednesday seeking more information.
Many residents seemed to be unsatisfied with the update.
They wondered why decapitating an animal wasn't a crime and seemed skeptical that cutting off an animal's head and leaving it in a bag, wasn't sort of some ritualistic act.
"This is weird to let it go," Lisa Reynolds Mengis wrote on the police department's Facebook page. "It's not normal at all to leave dead animals lying around."