(1) Both the left periorbital tissue and left ear were removed with a sharp instrument(s) as confirmed by two and three veterinary pathologists respectively;
(2) no evidence of high heat or cautery was obtained from these cuts;
(3) no signs of struggle and no tracks were found near the animal;
(4) an unusual, formaldehyde-containing blue gel-like substance was found on the eye, the ear and the anus of the animal; using headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis, the blue gel-like substance was shown to contain 300–3000 m g/g of 2,6-bis-dimethylethyl-4-methyl phenol, a synthetic molecule with anti-oxidant and anti-viral properties, as well as contaminants of normal putrefaction breakdown products from cow tissue;
(5) the animal’s heart was shredded, yet its pericardium was intact;
(6) the animal tested positive on two different pregnancy tests, yet there was no fetus present at the time of necropsy and no sign of a recent spontaneous abortion;
(7) it is suspected that the animal’s blood contained high levels of potassium chloride