On Wednesday morning, Terry V. Garner, a 70-year-old Oregon farmer, went to feed his animals. Several hours later, when he hadn’t returned, a family member went to look for him and found, on the ground of the hog enclosure, his dentures.
Further investigation of the enclosure by the family member revealed that the hogs, which each weighed about 700 pounds, had nearly completely eaten the farmer, although some body parts hadn't been consumed and were strewn about the enclosure.
Now the Coos County Sheriff’s Office is investigating how Garner “ended up in a position where the hogs were able to consume him.” According to the Sheriff's statement:
There are several scenarios being investigated, including that Mr. Garner had a health event, such as a heart attack, which then put him in a position where the hogs could consume him. Another scenario being investigated is that given the age and health of Mr. Garner, that one or more of the hogs knocked Mr. Garner to the ground, whereupon that hogs killed and consumed him. In addition, due to the unusual circumstances presented by this case, the Sheriff's Office is investigating to determine if foul play may have resulted in the death of Mr. Garner.
The statement adds that family said that at least one of the hogs had previously been aggressive toward the farmer but did not specify how many hogs live on the farm.
Garner’s remains were examined on Saturday by a pathologist who was unable to determine how the man died. A forensic anthropologist at the University of Oregon will also examine his remains.
Answering the phone at Garner’s home Monday, a man who described himself as a family friend described the tragedy succinctly: “What a way.”
This isn’t the first time hogs have eaten their farmers.
In 2004, a Romanian woman was knocked unconscious and eaten by the pigs on her farm, UPI reported at the time. The news report did not say whether the woman survived, only that the pigs had eaten the woman's ears and half her face. Her husband, sedated, told reporters: "I'll never breed such beasts again."
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