Missing Farmers

What we have is around two dozen reports specifically about farmers in one of David Pilates book series titled 411 about missing folks in Rural America.  This is a particular cluster and they are all similar.  Better yet the exceptions conform to my own expectations and strengthen the underlying conjecture regarding their fate.

In fact they provide our cleanest sample as no reasonable alternative cause is otherwise plausible.  The good news is that we have so few over a century.  However, that is also most likely because many others never found their way into a publication for the record.

All the victims disappeared out on their farms going about their daily routines.  There is never serious signs of struggle or foul play or any real possibility of human intervention.  They just disappear.  Dogs cannot locate scent trails or more likely are not stupid enough to follow one.  The result is always consistently unsatisfactory.

The two exceptions are as compelling.  In one case the body is found tossed down an abandoned well on a nearby farm with sign of bruising on the face although slight indicating sudden death before been tossed down the well. In the second case the body is found with its neck broken.  It is not clear if it was cached or not or possibly abandoned to hot pursuit.

All this conforms to ambush attack aimed at snapping the victim's neck and then carrying off the corpse.  I also suspect that this creature is careful to eliminate tracks as well. In the event it is rare for a skilled tracker to attend.

Those who follow my posts know that this all conforms to the Giant Sloth.  Better no other reasonable alternative exists for these cases as is often the case for losses in the wild.  We often forget that a mere misstep in the wilderness can produce a world of hurt easily leading to much worse and a failed recovery..  After all simply stepping up on a fallen log places you in position to tumble and break your neck.  Even the best trained lose discipline at times which is why a partner is necessary even if we did not have this threat.

This is actually our cleanest confirmation and yes proof of what is happening.  It also suggests to me that we have far more victims out there not been properly counted and we need to educate observers to add this option to cause of death.  I really do not think that this creature would stop at one kill.  I also wonder if missing pigs, sheep and cattle are been recorded at all or noted in any way.  

Cattle appear simply too big generally and rustling can be blamed for losses.  We must rethink our losses though.  This predator will take human sized animals and likely use it to supply a steady supply of maggots for weeks.  Thus kills will be spaced apart in both time and locale.  They could be easily twenty miles apart..