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Baby Goat 'Intentionally Led Away Into The Woods' And Killed, Police Say

ASHBURNHAM (CBS) -- A baby goat was found dead about 100 yards from its pen in Ashburnham.

According to police, the pen's fence had a hole cut out of it and "the animal had been intentionally led away into the woods up a trail."

Pat Stewart raises Nigerian dwarf goats on Hames and Axle Farm. She told WBZ-TV that this goat in particular had just been adopted by family to be a six-year-old girl's pet. The goat had been named Marshmellow, was bottle-fed and likely trustworthy of anyone.

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Goats at Pat Stewart's farm, the Hames and Axle Farm (WBZ-TV)

Police are investigating the dead goat as a case of animal cruelty. "The goat had two puncture wounds in its side and its throat had been cut with what looked to be clean cut, so we are thinking it was a knife," said Police Sgt. Wade Wright.

Some items found near the goat will be send away to a crime lab for testing. "Obviously, this can be elevated to other crimes," Wright said.

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Pat Stewart (WBZ-TV)

Stewart has a donkey and a livestock dog to warn of any intruders on her farm. "It's pretty rare, thankfully," she said.

"I can't, for the life of me, understand, it had to be someone very sick," added Stewart. "[The family] got really attached it was really hard morning for them."

Anyone with information is asked to called police and everyone in the neighborhood is asked to be vigilant. The person responsible may have come from the popular mid-state trail.

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