Goat’s mysterious death under investigation in Aspinwall

ASPINWALL BOROUGH, Pa. — Police in Aspinwall are investigating the sudden death of a goat that had been working to clear unwanted vegetation within the borough.

Two-year-old “James Van Der Bleat” was among five other goats rented through “Capricious Goats” to chomp away weeds within a fenced-in, overgrown section of the Firemen’s Memorial Park.

Monica Shields, who launched the goat rental company with her husband, received an alarming phone call shortly before 9 p.m. on June 28. James had been found dead at the site.

Shields said that they had visited the goats to check on them earlier that day, and all seemed fine.

“We’re not exactly sure what happened,” she told Channel 11. “I don’t think that it was something he ate. I don’t think it was natural.”

Shields said James’ collar had been somehow removed and was located away from his body, causing suspicion. She had never experienced anything like this before.

The family contacted Aspinwall Police, and the department posted about the situation on its Facebook page, urging anyone with information on the “unfortunate event” to contact the station at 412-781-3568.

Channel 11 has messages in to the chief to see if police suspect a criminal act led to James’ death. We will update this article if a response is received.

Meantime, James’ was buried on the Shields’ property. A necropsy was not conducted due to the length of time James had been out in the elements, the family said.

They are in mourning following the unexpected death and hope to get to the bottom of what happened.

“It’s hard when you have a pet that you’re very attached to and you lose,” she said. “So that’s difficult for us.”

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