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Family mourns, seeks answers in llama slaying |
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see photos below |
The crime has left the Warmkes in heartbreak and disbelief. |
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 Virginia Ridge Road, Philo:
Annie Warmke fought back the tears while she issued a statement to the press, as she and her husband, Jay Warmke, asked the community for help. Blue Rock Station, the Warmke’s farm and sustainable living center, has become a place of inspiration and tranquillity for green living enthusiasts from across the globe. Though the Warmkes are admired by many for their hard work, imaginations and entrepreneurial spirit, Annie and Jay know that there are some people who don’t agree with their political views or lifestyle. The Warmkes believe that dissonance reached a boiling point on the night of November 3. Jay had concluded a grueling campaign for the Franklin Local School Board, which had brought the Warmkes much opposition. “During the campaign, we received a number of hateful and even mildly threatening letters and emails, some signed and some anonymous,” said Annie, in her statement to the press. The following morning, Annie walked the pasture in the front of their farm to discover Michelle Belle, their beloved llama, slain and mutilated. “This is really a hate crime, I don’t want to admit that, but it’s true,” Annie says.
The crime has left the Warmkes – a very peaceful and open-minded family – in heartbreak and disbelief. Named by Jay and Annie’s granddaughter after the Beetles song, Michelle was not only a loved pet, but part of the Warmke’s livelihood. “Llamas just bring a smile to people’s faces ,” Annie says, explaining how visitors to Blue Rock Station enjoy llama trekking adventures into the forest, where the animals carry picnic provisions for woodland retreats. Annie says that Michelle was also part of her granddaughter’s 4-H program. The Warmkes adopted and rehabilitated Michelle after she had been neglected by a former owner, eventually going feral. Annie recalls that she and Jay spent years nurturing Michelle to the point that she was gentle and trusting towards people; like all of the animals at Blue Rock Station. It was that trust towards humans, Annie believes, that allowed the assailant(s) to approach Michelle and shoot her.
“This is more of a malicious type thing... so obviously this kind of escalates our investigation,” says Matt Lutz, Muskingum County Sheriff. Lutz says that the department has dealt with cases of slain farm animals before, but can’t recall a case quite like the Warmke’s. In his 21 years in law enforcement, Lutz says he also does not recall any violent crimes stemming from local elections. “You always have feuds, you always have arguments... I can’t ever recall, at least in recent memory, where we’ve ever had retribution on somebody. It makes it even a little bit more of a higher priority for me, because this is the first time in my career as a sheriff that we’ve had something like this,” Lutz says. According to Lutz, another resident in the area had a dead wild animal thrown onto their property. “We’re going to try to improve or increase the routines in the area with our deputies and see if we can find anyone moving in the area,” Lutz noted. He explains that a number of charges could stem from the incident, including criminal trespassing and cruelty to animals.
Four-year-old Michelle Belle was slain on the night of Wednesday, November 3. Annie and Jay Warmke say that part of Michelle's body was cut off by the suspect(s) as a "trophy".
Though the Warmkes are deeply hurt and fearful for the rest of their animals, their compassion remains. “For us, it’s about peace,” Annie says, “I know a lot of people here don’t understand that... we are asking anyone who knows anything about this crime to come forward, so that this person can get the help they need.” Jay says that neighbors are also concerned, and have come forth with overwhelming support. “We’ve had probably over 100 emails... ranging from real anger... to trying to understand why someone would do that,” says Jay, “our neighbors begin to feel ‘well this could happen to us, what about our dogs, what about our children.’”
Anyone with information that may be related to this case is encouraged to contact the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Lutz emphasizes the importance of community cooperation as the key to this investigation. A reward is being established, and those wishing to contribute can contact the Citizens National Bank, in Duncan Falls, for more information.
Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:54:00
Neil Wilhelm
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