Authorities have been unable to explain the deaths of two mutilated cows found dead 21 days apart on a Braselton farm.

"We can't determine anything about it," Jackson County Sheriff's Capt. Rich Lott said Wednesday.

One of the Black Angus cows was found Dec. 16 and the second on Jan. 6, according to a sheriff's report.

In each case, there was no discernible cause of death, yet each cow was precisely cut in the rectal area.

The cuts were clean with no jagged edges, according to Harold Edge, who owns the pasture off Edanville Road.

The first cow killed was recently purchased.

"I've messed with cows my whole life and she showed no sign of being sick," he said. The cow was taken to the University of Georgia.

"We thought she might have a disease because we just bought her," Edge said. "We learned the cow was not diseased. That's all (UGA officials) said."

The cow had a complete circle cut around the anal area and Edge ruled out an animal attack.

He did not report this death to law enforcement, but when the second cow was found dead and also cut in the rectal area, Edge called for a deputy.

This cow was in the pasture for four years and Edge said his grandson saw it the day before it died and the cow was fine.

The cows were examined and no bite marks or gunshot wounds were found, Edge said.

"If coyotes killed them, there would be other markings on them, but there were no marks except around the rear end," he said.

Edge said he was told there are people who might kill a cow for a particular body part, such as the kidneys, which he said might be accessible through the rectum.

A few years ago, a nearby cattle farmer who lives in Hall County experienced a spree of about 20 cattle deaths over a year's time in which specific parts were removed such as the genitals or udder. Authorities could not find any prints left by whoever was trespassing on the property, according to news reports.

In that case which attracted wide publicity, numerous theories were tossed out including UFOs and Satanic worshippers, but the cows deaths remains a mystery.

Follow writer Wayne Ford on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WayneFordABH.