The mystery of the headless goats in the Chattahoochee River

[otto]

Hello all,

I'm an Atlanta-based content producer interested in further exploring a particularly grisly and perplexing case...

In recent years, Georgia’s Chattahoochee River has become an unusual dumping ground: hundreds of headless goats have been discovered floating in its murky waters. The source of the decapitated livestock remains a mystery, with theories ranging from folk religious rituals to drug cartel activity.

I invite you to read the New Yorker article by Charles Bethea on this topic. I'm collaborating with Charles, who's also based in Atlanta, to potentially expand upon his work to dive deeper into this mystery—and hopefully get to the bottom of it once and for all.

We would greatly appreciate any leads, insights, etc. on this case. Thank you.

That's a pay to read link.

 

[tlcya]

That's a pay to read link.

odd I had no trouble accessing. must be a so many freebies before paywall type site.

 

[otto]

odd I had no trouble accessing. must be a so many freebies before paywall type site.

Thanks. That's the situation - a few free articles, then paywall.

If backyard "halal" butchers are stealing (or buying) livestock, slaughtering the animals in sheds and garages, and selling the un-inspected meat to local shops in Canada, it's probably happening in the USA too. I'm guessing that anyone who is writing an article about the dead goats is aware of this recent problem in Canada. After slaughtering the animals, they have a problem to dispose of the carcasses. In some countries, the dead are put in rivers.

 

[Knox]

Does anybody know if the dumping has continued since 2022 when the New Yorker article was written? Tia

Why Do Severed Goat Heads Keep Turning Up in Brooklyn?

And from NBC Channel 6 in South Florida, from 2013:

Headless Goat, Roosters Found Floating in South Beach

From AL.com (Alabama) in 2014:

Headless animal carcasses found on Tybee Island, Ga. beach

Or how about this one, from 2022 from WSB-TV Atlanta:

20+ bags of decapitated animals found in woods near Athens apartment complex

 

[vls12345]

I told Almonte about what was turning up in the Chattahoochee. He didn’t sound surprised. “I’m seeing more and more of the drug traffickers using Santería for protection over the last couple of years,” he said. “But that’s a lot of goats. That would mean they’re moving a lot of drugs along that highway.”

The Mystery of the Headless Goats in the Chattahoochee

Hundreds of decapitated goat carcasses have turned up in the river that runs through metro Atlanta. Are they evidence of animal sacrifice? Drug smuggling? Both?

www.newyorker.com

I do believe that Santeria and the above are the correct explanation for the goat carcasses being tossed into the river. It tracks for me.

Atlanta is a hub for drug distribution so the drugs being a connection may well be true.

Atlanta a hub for East Coast illegal drug trade as area fentanyl deaths spike, DEA says

Multiple factors that make Atlanta a good distribution hub for fentanyl, including its location on an extensive interstate system, the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and wealth, according the DEA.

www.gpb.org

“It’s pretty safe to say most of the drugs seized up and down the coast have come through Atlanta at one point, “ said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy.

Murphy said there are multiple factors that make Atlanta a good distribution hub for fentanyl, including its location on an extensive interstate system, the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and wealth.

Older reports (maybe there are newer ones, I haven't yet done extensive looking) point out I-20 being a major corridor into/out of Atlanta.

Transportation - Atlanta HIDTA Drug Market Analysis

https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs40/40382/40382p.pdf

 

[vls12345]

Hi no greed, my vision is not the best (actually, it’s awful following possibly botched cataract surgery back in March), but when I first read your post I thought it read 120 instead of I20.

Just to clarify: the area being discussed in the New Yorker article is just south of where I-20 crosses the river, right near the Six Flags Over Georgia parking lot. This location is about 3 miles west of the the I-20 / I-285 interchange, and about 9 miles west of downtown Atlanta.

Most Atlantans I think refer to I-285 (which encircles the city) as “The Perimeter” or “The Perimeter Highway”, so the river location being discussed is about 3 miles outside the Perimeter.

Jmo

I couldn't access the New Yorker article (subscription needed).

Per your post re: location, here's where you're mentioning as shown on Google maps. The orange circle is the area where I-20 crosses the river. I highlighted downtown Atlanta in yellow for reference.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[otto]

There are new immigrants in Western Canada stealing livestock, slaughtering animals in a residential garage, and selling the meat as "halal". Brains might be a delicacy. If the rest of the meat it discarded, I would question the health of the animal ... or maybe it's not "halal" after picking out the brains?

What tips us to this being new immigrant is that it is "halal" meat. That's not how Alberta beef is known, labeled, or inspected. That's new.

Truckloads of dead goats in the river sounds like ... organized crime? Backyard butchery? Where is the butchery going - who is eating it? I don't think it's voodoo.

"LeMay began looking into criminal activity in the meat industry following a CBC News report last year into cattle thefts in Alberta. He says the co-ordination it takes to steal, transport, slaughter and then sell stolen livestock has all the hallmarks of organized crime, in that it requires a sophisticated network to make it happen.

"I think it's a very serious, big deal," LeMay said."​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-uninspected-meat-1.7184922

 

[melodyl]

As frequently as the dumping is occurring at one location, I20 and the river overpass, why hasn’t a camera been installed?

That was my thought as well. Seems like they've had plenty of opportunity to at least record some tag numbers. Would think that would help put an end to the dumping of headless goats.