ON SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22ND 2019 AT 1100HRS, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM ********** 602 *** **** WHO TOLD ME HE WAS HAVING ISSUES WITH HIS HORSES NOT WANTING TO GO DOWN ONE SPECIFIC ROAD NEAR HIS RESIDENCE AND WAS WANTING SOMEONE TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROAD AND IMMEDIATE AREA TO DETERMINE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT COULD BE CAUSING THE BEHAVIOR WITH HIS HORSES. I SPECIFCALLY TOLD HIM WE HAD NEVER WORKED AN ISSUE SUCH AS THIS BEFORE BUT HE STATED HE HAD TRIED EVERYTHING HE COULD THINK OF AND SOMEONE HAD SUGGESTED A PRIVATE INVESTIGATION COMPANY TO DO AN ASSESSMENT OF THE AREA SO HE DID.

 

ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 23RD AT 0900HRS, I WENT TO 123 HAPPY LANE BUCKEYE, AZ AND CONTACTED JOHN AND WE WALKED OVER TO THE ROAD HE WAS CONCERNED WITH WHICH WAS AN UNPAVED NORTH AND SOUTH DIRT ROAD THAT WAS APPROXIMATELY 1000’ TO THE EAST OF HIS RESIDENCE. HE TOLD ME THE MAIN REASON THIS WAS AN ISSUE WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE THIS SIDE ROAD, WHICH CONNECTS TO THE EAST SIDE OF HIS PROPERTY WHERE HE STABLES HIS HORSES, CAUSES HIM TO TAKE THE ACCESS AREA ON THE WEST SIDE WHICH IS CLOSER TO THE MAIN ROADWAY AND MORE TRAFFIC WHICH HE SAYS IN A SAFETY CONCERN.

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I ASKED HIM IF THERE WAS ANYTHING SPECIFIC HE WANTED US TO CHECK FOR AND HE SAID “JUST ANYTHING THAT COULD BE CAUSING MY HORSES TO NOT WANT TO GO THIS WAY.” I ASKED HIM WHAT OTHER MEASURES HE HAD TAKEN AND HE SAID HE HAD CONSULTED SEVERAL VETERNARIANS AND ONE ANIMAL BEHAVIORAL SPECIALIST AND NONE HAD IDENTIFIED ANY ISSUES WITH THE HORSE.

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JOHN BROUGHT OVER TWO OF HIS HORSES AND DEMONSTRATED THEIR ACTIONS TO ME. AS HE RODE ONE EASTBOUND, WHEN HE GOT TO THE SIDE ROAD HE ATTEMPTED TO GUIDE THE HORSE ONTO THE ROAD AND HE WOULD NOT MOVE. HE THEN DISMOUNTED THE HORSE AND ATTEMPTED WALK WITH IT DOWN THE ROAD AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. HE DID THE EXACT SAME WITH THE OTHER AND HAD THE SAME RESULTS. HE THEN TRIED TO WALK BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME AND AGAIN, NEITHER HORSE WOULD GO DOWN THE ROAD.

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I WALKED THE ENTIRE ROAD STARTING AT THE SOUTH END GOING NORTH AND THEN BACK TWO DIFFERENT TIMES STARTING ONCE ON THE WEST SIDE AND ONCE ON THE EAST SIDE. EACH TIME I WAS PRIMARILY CHECKING FOR ANYTHING THAT WAS VISUALLY OUT OF THE ORDINARY AND FOR ANY UNUSUAL ODORS. NOTHING UNUSUAL WAS FOUND.

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ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH AT 1000HRS, I CONTACTED THE CITY OF ******** TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY KNEW OF BURIED UNDER THE AREA SUCH AS PIPELINES. ON FRIDAY SEP 27 I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE CITY OF ******* AND THE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THERE WAS NOTHING IN THEIR RECORDS SHOWING ANYTHING BEING BURIED IN THIS AREA.

 

ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 24TH I UTILYZED OUR DRONE TO CONDUCTED AN AERIAL SURVEILLANCE OF THE AREA AND NOTHING UNUSUAL WAS FOUND.

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ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH AT 0730HRS, SCOTT THOMPSON FROM ********* WHICH OFFERS GROUND PENETRATING RADAR SERVICES MET ME ON SITE AND CHECKED VARIOUS SECTIONS OF THE ROAD AND SEVERAL SECTIONS ALONG SIDE OF IT. ONCE COMPLETE, SCOTT TOLD ME THERE WERE TWO DIFFERENT SECTIONS IDENTIFIED HE BELIEVED WARRANTED FURTHER INSPECTION.

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ON WEDNESDAY OCT 2 AT 0800HRS, FRANK FROM *********** MET ME ON SITE TO DIG UP THE TWO MARKED AREAS TO SEE WHAT WAS BELOW THE SURFACE. HE STATED HE WOULD INITIALLY BE DIGGING 3’ DOWN AND THEN IF NEEDED, HE WOULD DIG TO A DEPTH OF 6’. AT THE FIRST MARKED SITE, WHEN FRANK GOT TO A DEPTH OF 3 1/2’, HE STOPPED DIGGING DUE TO THE OBJECT BEING IDENTIFIED AS A LARGE ROCK. AT THE SECOND SITE, DIGGING STOPPED AT A DEPTH OF 4’ AND AT THIS DEPTH, WE FOUND A LARGE QUANTITY OF BONES WHICH APPEARED TO BE ANIMAL BONES. I CONTACTED JOHN AND INFORMED HIM OF WHAT WE HAD FOUND AND HE CONTACTED HIS VETERNARIAN TO COME OUT AND INSPECT THE BONES. UPON THE ARRIVAL OF BETH, WHO IS JOHN’S VETERNARIAN, SHE DETERMINED THE BONES WERE HORSES. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 8 SKULLS FOUND AND ALL APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. NOTHING ELSE WAS FOUND AT THE SITE OTHER THAN BONES AND THERE WAS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE SKULL OR ANY OTHER BONES.

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I ASKED JOHN HOW LONG HE HAD OWNED THE LAND AND HE STATED HIS PARENTS BOUGHT THE LAND BACK IN THE 1920’S AND HAD OCCUPIED THE LAND CONTINUOUSLY SINCE THEN. I ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW HOW LONG THE ROAD HAD BEEN THERE AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS PUT THERE AROUND 1960. I ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW OF ANYONE WHO COULD HAVE PLACED THE CARCASAS THERE AND HE SAID “NO AND I CAN TELL YOU IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HARD TO MISS SOMEONE DIGGING A BIG HOLE AND DUMPING 8 HORSES INTO IT.”

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SEVERAL STATE AGENCIES WERE CONTACTED IN REFERENCE THIS INCIDENT BUT DUE TO THE FACT THE SITE APPEARED TO BE SOMETHING THAT DID NOT HAPPEN RECENTLY, NO ACTION WAS TAKEN.

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JOHN STATED HE WOULD HAVE THE BONES BURIED IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION.

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NO FURTHER ACTION WAS TAKEN AND DUE TO THE UNUSUAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCIDENT, THIS CASE IS TO BE PLACED IN THE 918 FILES.