Kriti Mehrotra
For over five decades, animals have been getting mutilated with eerie precision across the country on different ranches. However, the explanations behind what happened and why still remain unclear. Netflix’s ‘Unsolved Mysteries: Mysterious Mutilations’ explores the case and sheds light on the fact that killings have targeted parts like tounges, respiratory systems, and reproductive organs, which are valueless outside of the animal. Thus, it comes as no surprise ranchers like M.T. Anderson, Matt Carter, Herschel Lantis, and Darwin Hodges — who themselves have lost animals — remain baffled about the whole ordeal to this day.
M.T. Anderson is a Man of Many Hats
Having been in the ranching industry since he got out of school over 25 years ago, M.T. Anderson has an incredible reputation that has only expanded over the past few years thanks to his hard work. He did lose a cattle in early June 2021 and reported it to local authorities owing to how it had been acting strange the day before being killed without any blood surrounding the body, but he didn’t let it affect his business. After all, he simply couldn’t afford to, considering he owns-operates a 75,000-acre cattle as well as a yearling ranch in the Izee Valley in Grant County, Oregon, while also having a quarter horse operation.
As if that’s not enough, according to reports, M.T. even owns a separate cattle operation specializing in Hereford bulls and Angus cows, all the while dabbling in the world of ranch real estate. Since this High Desert Cattle Company plus High Desert Quarter Horses’ owner’s experience gives him an unparalleled perspective, he has been able to deal with ranches and agricultural properties with great success. Nevertheless, it’s evident his core priority will always remain the overall happiness of his family, comprising his loving wife, Cori Kluser Anderson, and three children: Cinch, Raney, and Monel.
Mat Carter is Balancing His Personal and Professional Experiences
While Mat Carter had admittedly first heard about animal mutilations from a friend a few decades ago, he never worried about it too much since he never thought it could actually happen to him. However, everything changed in August 2020 as he found a cow dead on the southern side of his property with her upper lip as well as tongue cut off and her intestines sticking out from between her legs. Then came the winter of 2022, when he found a bull mutilated less than half a mile from his house — again, parts of the animal were gone without there being any blood or tracks on the snow.
Mat did report the latter incident, yet nothing ever came of it as there was no concrete evidence that could be inspected, driving him to be a lot more vigilant with his work and about his family. After all, he and his wife Jennifer are the proud owners of Crown Cattle Company in Seneca, Ohio, where they primarily raise Hereford, Angus, and Red Angus Cross while residing on the ranch. His father had actually started this business in 1984, with the couple taking over in 2002, all the while raising their four children, who are now all adults — their youngest just recently graduated high school.
Herschel Lantis is a Dedicated Family Man
It was March 22, 2020, when Herschel Lantis went out hunting with family near his home in Condon in Gilliam County, Oregon, when he came across a scene that is now burned in his mind. He saw a bull lying on his side, but what was unusual was that a big chunk of his skin was missing from his belly to his rectum. The cut was smooth, which indicated no predator was involved. The fact there was not a lot of blood around also gave this professional rancher the creeps, and it’s to such an extent that the hair on the back of his neck still stands up when he has to go by that area again even now.
Coming to Herschel’s own life, he can honestly only be described as a true countryman through and through, considering the now 68-year-old spent the majority of his life as a rancher. However, it appears as if this Condon resident has since largely stepped back from work to focus on his other roles as a passionate and proud husband, father, as well as grandfather. In fact, from what we can tell, he and his wife are surrounded by their brood every step of the way, so they do their best to keep things interesting via fun activities while spending quality time with them.
Darwin Hodges is a Caring Ranch Manager and Family Man
Since Darwin Hodges’ father was an employee at Oregon’s Department of Agriculture, he still vividly remembers that the first time he ever heard of cattle mutilations was through him in the 1970s. However, he honestly never expected to encounter such a thing even after he grew up and evolved into a ranch manager/cattle boss at CRC Cattle in Pilot Rock in Umatilla County, Oregon. That is, until he did in October 2019 – the cow he came across was perfectly healthy the day before, so her being dead was strange, and then his noticing that she had been mutilated was stranger.
Little did Darwin know this would actually be the first of many such animals he would encounter, leaving him utterly baffled about what’s going on and who is responsible. But alas, like everyone else, even he only has theories regarding what could be possible, driving him to just do his best at work while also taking extra precautions for the safety of his loved ones. This could be why the professional countryman from Umatilla County, Oregon, seemingly prefers to remain well away from the limelight these days.
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