WHITES CREEK, Tenn. (WTVF) — It is just weeks before Thanksgiving, and turkeys are disappearing. Believe it or not — it is an odd case of poultry rustling.
A band of thieves is hitting farms and rescue sanctuaries across Tennessee and Kentucky. And these thefts are primarily targeting turkeys.
At Piccolo Farms the issue is poultry rustling. Unfortunately, the only witnesses were the other animals in this Whites Creek sanctuary for rescued or unwanted livestock. But the thieves left an important clue behind.
"This is exactly the type of birds that were taken," said Bonnie Glueck with Piccolo Farms. "They grabbed our two female white palm turkeys Olive and Mommy."
It happened this past week. Glick said a man pulled up in a white Jeep Cherokee with his wife and daughter.
"He was asking if he could buy our birds, and I said, 'No. It's a sanctuary. You can't buy our birds."
Glick said the man became angry and left in a huff.
Two days later, she noticed a bag of meat scraps as bait in the driveway and a bunch of loose feathers. Olive and Mommy were gone.
"I'm dealing with deep sadness because they are our children," said Glueck.
But the thieves made a mistake — leaving a signed receipt in the bag with meat scraps. The name was traced to a person on Facebook, the same man who wanted to buy Glick's turkeys. Nashville police now have that information.
"They leave angry and come back and steal the birds, which they cased out the first time."
Since news of the theft went public, Glick says she heard from many other victims. It seems these same thieves are stalking poultry pages online and stealing from farms and sanctuaries from Kentucky to Tennessee and North Carolina.
So there are persons of interest and a police report has been filed. Metro police are investigating the thefts.
Anyone else who has been similarly victimized is asked to report it.
