WELD COUNTY, Colo. — Authorities in Weld County are searching for several missing cattle — all of which are presumed stolen — from multiple herds northeast of Greeley.
The Weld County Sheriff's Office said it is now asking for the public's help and to report any information about the whereabouts of those animals. There are 14 Black Angus cows missing in total.
The exact timeframe of when the theft happened is not exactly known, but investigators believe it was around the beginning of October.
The cattle are missing from three separate herds, and they disappeared on different dates and from different grazing locations, the sheriff's office said. Brand information from those herds is below.
Chad Sanger with Turnkey Cattle Company explained that he checked all the fences around the ranch and noticed nothing was left open and there were no gaps in the fencing where the animals could have escaped. Initially, it didn't cross his mind that the animals could have been stolen.
"Now, we do have cameras set now out there, and they're on cellular so, you know, we can keep an eye on things, and we get notifications if anything's happening," Sanger said.
"Everything that we had taken were either younger cows or first-calf heifers coming, and those are worth anywhere from $3,000 to $4,200," he explained. "The older cows that are... 2-, 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds — they're still up around $3,500. There's money to be made to take them."
He said cattle herds in the United States are down 38% and this is yet another hit.
The Colorado Brand Inspector has been notified.
Anybody with information is asked to contact the Weld County Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Lase at elase@weld.gov or 970-356-4015 and reference case number 25W006326.
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