True crime and unsolved mysteries are as popular as ever, as these strange, committed-without-a-trace incidents are equal parts eerie and fascinating. Since no place is exempt from these occurrences, you will find that the Centennial State has experienced its fair share of the two, including these Colorado horse mutilations that may be the creepiest unsolved mystery in state history:
The creepy story of the Colorado horse mutilations began in the late summer of 1967 near Alamosa when the 4-legged equine celebrity, Lady, was found deceased with a skinned skull and missing organs.
According to witness accounts, Lady - who had only been missing for 2 days - looked as if she had been dead for months, as her exposed bones appeared dry and sun-bleached.
To make a strange situation even stranger, the surgical incision-like cuts used to remove Lady's organs were small and intricate, with no blood left behind in either her carcass or on the ground.
Once the investigation into Lady's death began, even more unexplainable incidents were discovered, including circular footprints around Lady's body, a flattened bush nearby, a sweet-smelling acetone smell in the air, and high radioactive readings on a US Forest Service ranger's Geiger counter.
While the local sheriff eventually deemed Lady's death to be an accident (lightning strike), many have their own theories, the most popular of which is that of extraterrestrials killing the prized showhorse.