According to Brown County Sheriff’s Office, a Brown County couple is being investigated on charges of animal cruelty after 16 head of cattle were found dead on their property and are believed to have died from thirst and starvation, according to BCSO officials.

BCSO Sergeant Lundy received information regarding the possible animal cruelty at a property located on the east side of Blanket, Texas.  The anonymous caller stated that there were approximately 16 head of cattle dead on the property in question.  When the Lundy arrived to investigate the call, he made contact with one of the owners who stated that he was aware that some of his cattle had died from what he believed to be “due to the drought, for lack of water or grass to eat,” according to the report.

Sgt. Lundy asked the owners when they became aware that the cattle were dying and was told that it was when they were contacted by a neighbor on August 6, 2011.  The man stated that he believed there was “a problem with the water in their one and only earthen water tank,” the report states.

When Sgt. Lundy accompanied the owner to the tank to investigate, he observed the dead cattle on the property, 13 cows, 2 bulls and one calf, according to the report.  Several of the animals appeared to have been dead for a considerable time due to their carcasses being only bleached bones and skin, according to Sgt. Lundy’s report.  One cow appeared to have died after getting bogged down in the mud approximately 15 feet from the water’s edge and that it appeared to have been a long time since any of the animals had made it to the water as there were no tracks, the report states.  Another cow had cactus thorns in its face, head and neck area, which Sgt. Lundy reported occurs when cattle are starving or thirsty and try to eat cactus.

Next, the woman was interviewed and stated that the last time she had checked on the cattle was July 30th and that there was no problem at that time, according to the report.    She also stated that she was not aware that their tank was nearly dry.  She told investigators that she was thinking about feeding some hay to the cattle soon and that she and her husband “really learned a lesson from this incident,” the report states.

In the report, Sgt. Lundy stated he believed the owners’ “failure to provide water and or feed to their cattle caused the death of 16 head.”

The cattle are on the property where the couple resides, according to BCSO officials.  Approximately half of their property is located in Comanche County.

According to BCSO investigators, this incident is a Class A misdemeanor; however the couple could be tried on 16 counts of animal cruelty, which holds a maximum penalty per count of two years in jail.  If the case is found to be animal torture, it could carry a heavier penalty, BCSO officials said.

The case is currently under investigation and no arrests had been made at the time of the report.