The Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is looking for leads in a series of “barbaric” suspected animal sacrifices after several mutilated birds were found ritualistically displayed at two Long Island cemeteries.
The first such incident was reported by Suffolk County Police in August after two decapitated chickens were found in front of a headstone at Old Baptist Cemetery in Coram.
Suffolk County SPCA was then alerted on Oct. 17 to a similarly disturbing discovery at Union Cemetery in Middle Island, where investigators found the remains of a beheaded chicken, a black rooster and a white dove.
The animals’ bodies were placed “in a circular pattern” indicative of what SPCA detectives called “a ritualistic sacrifice.”
In the most recent incident, a man walking his dog near the entrance of Union Cemetery on Nov. 8 alerted authorities when he discovered a bag containing a beheaded chicken and chunks of coconut.
Upon further investigation of the scene, Suffolk County SPCA detectives also found “a variety of fruits, vegetables and candles” as well as the skeletal remains of a goat head. The SPCA said the findings are “indicative of animal sacrifice which involves the killing and offering of an animal as part of a religious ritual.”
In response to the incidents, the Suffolk County SPCA is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual, or individuals, responsible.