MUTILATION OF ANIMALS ON INDIAN LANDS IN NEW MEXICO

This collection of documents chronicles the Federal Bureau of Investigation's involvement in the investigation of animal mutilations on Indian lands in New Mexico between 1979 and 1980. The matter originated following a request from the Department of Justice, prompted by correspondence from Senator Harrison Schmitt regarding reports of fifteen animal mutilations. The FBI's Albuquerque Division was tasked with investigating these incidents to determine if they constituted a crime on an Indian reservation. A multi-state conference was held in Albuquerque on April 20, 1979, attended by law enforcement, news media, and Senator Schmitt, to discuss the phenomenon. Following this, a special investigative unit, led by former FBI agent Kenneth M. Rommel, Jr., was established under a Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) grant to coordinate investigations. Throughout the process, the FBI maintained that its jurisdiction was limited to Indian lands. The FBI's investigation, which included the analysis of physical evidence—specifically paint flakes recovered from a pickup truck—concluded that the damage to the carcasses was consistent with predator and scavenger activity. By early 1980, the FBI determined that there was no federal interest in continuing the investigation, as no new reports of mutilations on Indian lands had been received. The case was subsequently placed in a closed status, and the final report, titled 'Operation Animal Mutilation,' was submitted by the District Attorney's Office. The documents reflect a clear administrative effort to manage public and political concern while maintaining that the incidents did not warrant federal intervention.