13 Lambs Found Dead with Their Necks ‘Deliberately Broken.’ Now, Police Are Trying to Solve the Murderous Mystery

A local farmer who owned the animals described the situation as “the worst thing I could ever imagine”

Authorities are investigating after 13 lambs were discovered dead under disturbing circumstances, sparking concern in a small rural community. Officials say the animals appeared to have been deliberately harmed, leaving residents shocked and searching for answers.

The animals are believed to have died sometime between 7 p.m. on Friday, March 13, and 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said in a news release.

The lambs were found deceased at a farm on Drumsesk Road in Rostrevor, a village in Ireland, authorities said.

“It appears that their necks had been deliberately broken,” an officer, identified only as Inspector Reynolds, said in a statement in the news release.

He added, “This is a shocking crime, and we would be keen to hear from anyone who noticed anything unusual in the area during [those] times.”

Kevin McGivern, a local farmer, spoke with the BBC and said the 13 dead lambs were his.

Describing the situation as “the worst thing I could ever imagine,” McGivern told the outlet he arrived at his field with his brother to feed the animals and “just knew from the distance there was something badly wrong.”

“At least 11 had their necks broke, the others were probably strangled,” he recalled to the BBC. “It was like a crime scene, really.”

McGivern now plans to relocate some of the sheep that lost their lambs to his farmyard, where he will attempt to have them bond.

However, he explained to the BBC it is a “very difficult job,” stating, “It’s sort of like a welfare issue to relieve the ewes [female sheep] of the milk. Hopefully, if they adopt another lamb, it makes the ewe feel better. It’s the best of a bad job.”

Police are asking anyone with information tied to the deaths of the 13 lambs to contact them.