Leia and Moon Pie are back home safely thanks to the alert thinking of a Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigator.
The two pygmy goats had disappeared from a Walthall County residence on Halloween. Lacey and Justin Laird had reported their 11-year-old daughter, Piper’s, goats missing to Walthall County authorities and were offering a reward.
When they went to their farm on Oct. 31, the Lairds noticed a dog and the goats missing. Piper Laird raised the two registered goats.
Justin Laird told WJTV that as soon as the goats and dog were discovered missing, the couple and others began to search for them.
“When we got here, they were gone,” he said. “We didn’t know where they went, and that started a whole round of chaos trying to find them.”
Soon, social media was flooded with pictures of the dog and two goats. A woman from a local animal sanctuary in Walthall County found the dog and goats. She was able to secure the dog, but the goats weren’t as lucky.
The driver of a pickup truck took off with the goats toward Columbia and left the Lairds and local authorities stumped for several days.
Enter Investigator Glenn Lowery of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, who had seen the social media posts about the goats.
“I was headed to a residence in the Kokomo area on an unrelated case,” he said. “Officers from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office had asked us to help investigate a burglary. We went to the residence and as we looked around, the goats were there. They had tattoo markings that identified them.”
Lowery said he then worked to get the goats back to the rightful owner.
“I had gotten a message from the owners on Facebook and we responded,” he said. “The goats are now back with their owner. I’m just glad we were able to get them back for the girl.”
Charges regarding the goats have not been filed in Marion County, according to Lowery.
“It’s a Walthall County case and any charges would need to be filed there,” he said.
As of deadline there was no word of charges filed on the goat thefts.
Pictured Above: Pygmy goats Leia and Moon Pie are back home in Walthall County thanks to the work of Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies on a recent case.
