Probe launched after farmer is eaten by his pigs
Police are investigating the chilling death of a pig farmer who was eaten by his own pigs in the USA.
Terry Vance Garner, 69, went to feed his animals on his farm near the Oregon coast last week, but he never returned.
A family member later found his dentures and body parts in the pig enclosure, but most of his remains had been consumed, district attorney Paul Frasier said.
Police believe it is possible that Mr Garner had a medical emergency, such as a heart attack, or had been knocked down by his animals then killed and eaten, Mr Frasier added.
A pathologist who examined Mr Garner’s remains was unable to identify the cause of death.
“For all we know, it was a horrific accident, but it’s so doggone weird that we have to look at the possibilities.”
Paul Frasier, district attorney
But because of the unique circumstances surrounding the death, foul play is not being ruled out.
“For all we know, it was a horrific accident, but it’s so doggone weird that we have to look at the possibilities,” Mr Frasier told the Register-Guard newspaper.
Mr Garner was a retired serviceman who had served in the Vietnam war and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
His brother Michael Garner said: “Those animals were his life. He had all kinds of birds, and turkeys that ran all over the place. Everybody knew him.”
Last year, a large sow bit Terry Garner after he accidentally stepped on one of the piglets.
“He said he was going to kill it, but when I asked him about it later, he said he had changed his mind,” Michael Garner said.