ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210062
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO MATT CHITTUM
It was the smell that did it.
A herd of more than 50 cattle on a Daleville-area farm, apparently withering away without water in the June heat, began dying off last weekend, sending out a dreadful smell as its only distress signal.
"By Monday," said one resident of the Brae Mar subdivision on U.S. 220, "it was almost too nauseating to even go outside."
Eventually, some residents of Brae Mar called the Botetourt County Sheriff's Office to report the foul odor.
Wednesday, deputies found about 40 head of cattle dead or dying in a holding pen on a remote part of the 422-acre Lynn Brae farm, Sheriff Reed Kelly said. The farm is owned by T.D. Steele and operated by his son Roger.
The cattle could have been there as long as a week, Kelly said. Since they were found, more than a dozen more have died despite being given water. A few are still alive.
The cattle, it turns out, were actually owned by an Ohio rancher who had an agreement with Roger Steele to pasture the herd on the Botetourt farm, Kelly said. But the two parties apparently miscommunicated about when the cattle would be delivered. According to Kelly, Roger Steele said he had no idea the herd was there.
Kelly said as best as can be determined, the cattle are worth about $250 each, for a total loss of about $13,000. No charges have been filed.
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