Officials are looking into the body of a Longhorn found in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge without its head three weeks ago. 

Federal Wildlife Officer Kelly Moran says that the longhorn, which was found by a photographer along the Rush Lake shore, was an older longhorn and they haven't been able to verify if it died of natural causes or was intentionally killed. Moran said that while there was obvious trauma to the body, they will need to examine the head to conclusively determine what happened, telling KSWO,

Whoever took the head can, you know, be able to help us determine the cause of death. If they found it dead we want to know that, or if they killed it we want to know that too.

Unfortunately, its unlikely the person who took the head will willingly come forward as removing anything from the refuge, such as rocks, plants, animals, or animal remains, is illegal, according to Moran,

Everything is protected and it's protected for future generations to enjoy. Anybody can come out here and look for things and look at things rather and that's fine but everything is protected by law and there are fines.

Officials have a few leads from tips, but are asking for anyone with information to come forward and call 1-844-NWR-TIPS. Depending on the charges filed against those responsible, the person/people who removed the head can be looking at anywhere from $5,000 to $100,000 in fines and 6 months to a year in prison.

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