Drivers distracted by dead cow that remained on side of busy highway for days

BEAVERCREEK — A dead cow was spotted on the side of I-675 over the weekend and has been there for days.

As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Beavercreek police got a call on Friday about a cow loose on I-675 near Indian Ripple Road, many people saw the cow on Sunday after it had died.

“Passing the Greene I looked over to my right and I saw an upside down cow, it looked, it looked pretty dead to me just stiff as a board laying there on the side of the highway,” Centerville Resident Jonathan Mattioda said.

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The cow had been on the highway since Friday when Beavercreek police were sent to the exit ramp to Indian Ripple Road off I-675 for a cow on the loose.

“I was wondering maybe something had tipped over a ways away, or maybe a cow had escaped from a farm,” Mattitoda said.

The owners of the cow told officers the cow fell out of a trailer on its way to the butcher shop.

“He’s making a break away he was running for his life, I don’t blame him,” Mattitoda said.

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The owners and police attempted to catch the cow but couldn’t. The cow was heading southbound before stopping at a tree line near a concrete wall.

Police ended up shooting and killing the cow at the owner’s request after multiple failed attempts at catching the cow.

“He’s just been left out here on this side of the highway,” Thomas Fogle said.

Fogle said he was disturbed by what he saw.

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“It has a big thing on the side of its head, it smells pretty bad,” Fogle said.

According to the police report, the owners were worried for the safety of people driving in the area.

“It needs to be disposed of somewhere in a proper way not just slumped out here because there’s houses back there I’m sure these people are starting to smell something bad,” Fogle said.

Typically, the Ohio Department of Transportation handles the removal of dead or other animals on the highway. However, ODOT says that in this case, the owner of the cow is responsible for removing it. The police report said the owners were planning to get in contact with their vet who had a device to move dead cattle.

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