Detectives Baffled by Recent Wave of Central Valley Goat Thefts

More than 60 goats in Fresno County have gone missing since early January in a rash of thefts that continue to baffle law enforcement officials.

Kristy Picquette of Kingsburg was among the first of the eight goat owners whose animals disappeared. Her 11 goats, who had been staying on a friend's land in the nearby town of Easton, vanished in the middle of the night.

"Honestly, for the first seven days I couldn't sleep because I was so concerned," said Picquette, who has raised goats for years.

Detectives on the Fresno County Sheriff’s Agriculture Task Force say they’ve been working overtime on the case but haven't made much headway.

"We've searched some pastures we thought could be connected with our case, but we've come up empty on those leads," said Tony Botti, a sheriff's office spokesman.

"We're really at the point where we're hoping the public has maybe heard something,” he said. “Maybe they've been approached by someone trying to sell them goats, and then that word could get back to us and we can really break this case open."

A few weeks ago, four of Kristy's goats were found on the side of the road, more than 20 miles from where they were taken. All of them were sick.

Detectives searched the area but didn't find any clues. Her seven other goats are still missing.

Three of her recovered goats — Baby Bell, Princess and Brownie — are home and being kept under close watch. The fourth, a 2-week old, whose mother is missing, must be constantly bottle fed, and is being cared for by a friend.

"We're joking that they're in the witness protection program right now," said Picquette. "We wish they could talk so they could tell us where their moms are at."

Picquette is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of her goats. In the meantime, she has set up a Go Fund Me to help start a new herd.

Some of Picquette’s the stolen goats belong to her two sons who take care of them through their participation in a local 4-H agricultural program.

"My kids have raised and bred the goats throughout the years," said Picquette. "They paid the vet bill if they got sick. They paid the feed bill. This is their business."

One of her sons, Dillen Picquette, 12, said it's been a really upsetting and frustrating experience.

"Whoever stole them, just bring them back," he said. "'Cause that's not right, to steal from kids. It's pretty messed up."