A quiet day of fishing on Sodom Reservoir in Southeast turned chilling on Sunday when an angler stumbled onto four decapitated birds along the shoreline, triggering a Putnam County SPCA investigation. Officers later recovered two roosters and two white doves scattered near a tree just feet from the water. The gruesome find is the latest in a string of mutilations that has unsettled lakeside residents across Putnam County.
According to Daily Voice, Putnam County SPCA Law Enforcement officers were called at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday after the fisherman reported the scene near Old Milltown Road. Investigators said they found two decapitated roosters and two decapitated white doves on the shoreline and that the case remains under active investigation.
Earlier finds hint at disturbing pattern
In mid-March, detectives recovered seven animals - chickens, roosters and doves - stuffed in garbage bags and a cardboard box near Route 52 and Lake Carmel in Kent, a discovery authorities said resembled the latest one. That earlier report, detailed in seven bagged birds near Lake Carmel, renewed calls for tips from residents.
Evidence raises ritual concerns
Investigators have noted that some carcasses from prior scenes appeared to be drained of blood and that items described as possible ritual artifacts were recovered at other locations. A veterinarian determined in April 2025 that birds found floating in Lake Carmel had been mutilated and drained of blood, and reporting by Patch documented objects wrapped in yarn and pinned with needles recovered in that case.
SPCA leads probe and seeks tips
The Putnam County SPCA’s Law Enforcement Division, a New York State-certified agency with police powers, is leading the investigation and asks anyone with information to call its 24-hour cruelty hotline at 845-520-6915, per Putnam County SPCA. Law Enforcement Chief Ken Ross told News 12 New York that investigators suspect the animals were likely killed elsewhere and then left by the water, a detail that complicates forensic work and the search for a crime scene.
