CARMEL- Putnam County SPCA officials are investigating another case of animal mutilation involving four birds found decapitated with blood drained from their bodies.

SPCA Chief Ken Ross said a fisherman discovered the birds along the shoreline of Sodom Reservoir near Old Milltown Road in Southeast.

SPCA personnel responded to the 9-1-1 call and, according to Ross, found two decapitated roosters and two decapitated white doves scattered on the ground near a tree just feet from the water.

Ross believes the birds were killed as part of a religious ritual.

The SPCA investigated four similar incidents last year and another last month: Animals decapitated, blood drained and placed by a body of water.

In one of the cases of 2025, a goat’s head was found in a bag along with coconuts and literature about animal sacrifice.

Ross said the cases are difficult to solve because the animals are left near bodies of water. “There is no crime scene,” he said. “That makes cases like this difficult. I hope someone with information about the mutilations, or expertise in sacrifice rituals, can help us solve them.”

Anyone with information about this incident, or any similar incidents, is asked to contact the Putnam County SPCA Law Enforcement Division at 845-520-6915.