CHARLOTTE, NC (CNN) – Residents made a startling discovery in a wooded area near their neighborhood – the carcasses of 70 to 80 coyotes.
And authorities think they know who did it.
“At first it looked like a whole bunch of deer or raccoons or something,” said Mark Liebner, who found the dead coyotes on Thursday off McCarron Way. “But we got closer and closer and it was just literally a pile of just dead coyotes.”
“It was a really gnarly site. Smelled really bad,” Liebner added.
Sampson Parker, wildlife enforcement officer, said he’s never seen that amount in one place before. Parker said it’s legal to kill coyotes.
An investigation shows the suspect, who is from Rowan County, got the coyotes from a large hunt, WBTV reported.
“It wasn’t just Mecklenburg County where this came from,” said Parker. “Several different counties, so far, is where these coyotes came from. It looks like one individual got a hold of all these coyotes and unfortunately just made a bad decision to dispose of them not properly.”
Liebner said a locked gate blocks the area at all times and the only people who have keys to it are the city workers.
The site used to be the old McCarron wastewater treatment plant. County officials say the city bought the site and locked it up.
So how did someone with several dozen dead coyotes get in?
“That’s still under investigation,” Parker said.
Still, residents wonder why someone would do such a thing. “Why would you bring a whole bunch of dead coyotes and dump them here?” Liebner asked.
Officer Parker says he plans to meet with the district attorney’s office to discuss possible charges against the suspect.
