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Where We Left Off:
The human biographer screwed up an important case and let a suspect escape after they had turned themselves in.
In Memorium
Before I begin, I want to take a moment to recognize the incredible life of Murphy the Bald Eagle who recently passed away. Murphy became famous at the World Bird Sanctuary because his goal in life was to be a father. He fostered two eaglets who grew up healthy and strong and were able to be set free. Murphy was sad without an eaglet to raise and he adopted a rock. Murphy had a large enclosure at the sanctuary, but sometimes storms would cause damage. Read the WBS announcement on Instagram. Had it not been for that storm in St. Louis, Murphy would still be alive—educating people and being a foster dad.
Staggering Development:
Speaking of large birds, I take notice when the daily vultures circle in a larger number than their usual 2-4. Way back in December of 2024, the vultures were telling me something unintentionally. There were over a dozen of them perched in the Northern Forbidden Forest. I watched them circle over a cemetery within walking distance from the Winchester-Nabu estate.Â
According to my notes, it was bitterly cold. When there was sun, it caused glare on every reflective surface. I was fresh off my recent eye surgery and needed sunglasses every time I went outside (pretty much still do).
Gus and Ollie agreed to open a new case, Case File No. 33-397, to research the behavior of the vultures. The cats and I learned a lot about how the large birds are needed to coexist with humans. I hope our readers learned something about them as well.
On a sunny day, I took Gus on a different adventure. I decided to pack him into the backpack and go out in search of whatever the vultures had targeted. Going up a small but steep hill was no easy task with the extra weight of Gus on my back. It still would have been hard for me without him.
I took a “switchback” approach to the hill going sideways at a low angle then switching to the other direction. That’s how I found the only bone evidence collected that day. I could immediately tell it was a right scapula (shoulder blade). It still had some tissue on it. The animals had done a nearly perfect job picking it clean, but I knew I would have to do some myself if I wanted to keep it.
I slipped the bone into my pouch and carried Gus the rest of the way up the hill hoping to find more evidence. We struck out. At the top, we were able to enter a cemetery and peacefully walk around. There’s a meadow after the section for graves. It was likely filled with ticks, but I went through it anyway searching for more artifacts.
I should clarify that we didn’t find any more bones, but we did come across what looked like it could be used as a fairy home. I wanted to bring it home since it was in a pile of discarded things collected from graves. As I tried to free it from the ice, it broke, so I left it there.
Victimology
When it was time for a staff meeting, The Grumpy Old Man said he counted 12 deer in the yard at one time. This became a somewhat regular occurrence. It was definitely not a daily situation. When the trailcams would function properly, I had the task of reviewing and labeling all the footage. I can’t keep up so there are weeks where the files have simple names without any subject identified.
Oliver, Gus, and I took an unofficial census of the white-tailed deer and hybrid cryptids, Jersey Devil-Deer. I have several documented our database with years they were born and their maternal lineage. According to our records, none have been missing. Admittedly, we’re more familiar with the Does. By now, the bucks have shed their antlers. Their antlers had been a key identification trait.
We had no identification of this victim. Our victim was undocumented. This bone is significantly larger than the one on BoneID.net which could mean the victim was a large male buck. I found another resource, BoneIdentification.com which has a specimen that closely resembles ours.
Cause of Death:
- Accidental
Manner of Death:
- Presumed vehicular homicide
Evidenciary Photos and Video
The bone was soaked in a solution of water, Dawn dish soap, and Hydrogen Peroxide 3% until March 25, 2025. Then it was laid outside where it could be exposed to sunlight.
*These photos show the result of the cleaning process. The scrapes on the edges of the bone were caused by the serrated and flat blades and the pliers used to clean the bone.
Case Findings:
Sadly, we have no information on the victim in this case. Gus and Ollie truly believe the death was an accident since the location of the bone was found in a high-traffic area. Due to the size of the bone, it’s possible the victim was male. Lacking identifying documentation means we cannot update our family trees in the database for the cervidae.
Case Status: Closed