Wisconsin Horror Farm Discovered by Authorities – Owner Casually Claims 'No Idea' What Happened
A Wisconsin couple has been charged with almost 100 combined counts after authorities said they discovered roughly 200 dead goats on their property.
Kyle Lincicum, 32, and Stephanie Lincicum, 33, each were charged with 20 counts of mistreatment of animals, 20 counts of failure to provide proper food and drink for confined animals, and five counts of timely disposition of carcasses, according to the Telegraph Herald.
They also each face one count of transfer of another’s personal property and one count of theft.
The Lincicums, who were arrested in May and made their first court appearance this week, claimed all of the goats died in a matter of days at the end of January or in early February and believed it was because of parasites or an illness, the Telegraph Herald reported, citing documents.
Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Kyle Lincicum told authorities regarding the dead animals, “I have no idea what it was.”
A veterinarian visited the scene and said she believed the goats died of starvation and lack of water, as there appeared to be “no flowing water for weeks,” WKOW-TV reported.
Lafayette County Sheriff Reg Gill said, “By tracking records through feed companies and things like that, it had been quite some time since they’ve actually purchased any feed.”
Stephanie Lincicum alerted the landowner in March that most of the goats had died, which soon prompted a visit from the Farm Service Agency, according to the Journal Sentinel.
The agency documented 177 dead goats on the farm, the Telegraph Herald reported.
Police later went to the scene and found two goats alive, but the animals had to be euthanized due to being in poor condition.
WKOW reported the goats “did not have a single ounce of fat on their bodies.”
“This was brought on just by lack of taking care of them,” Gill said.
“And obviously very devastating to see that many animals just left to die.”
The Journal Sentinel reported no feed was found on the property.
The Lincicums allegedly had an agreement with the landowner to stay on the property and take care of the animals.
The couple also reportedly sold roughly 265 goats during the time they lived there and made over $37,000.
Gill said the Lincicums wouldn’t have been allowed to do this because they did not own the animals, WKOW reported.
“This case is just extraordinary for us in terms of numbers,” Gill told the Telegraph Herald. “It’s not unusual for us to get calls about animal neglect, but nothing like this.”
If convicted, the Lincicums each face several years behind bars, the Journal Sentinel reported.
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