Cop may have trampled rural Donna man to death, MPs say

A 75-year-old man may have been killed by an aggressive bull after he was found dead with abrasions all over his body in rural Donna, the sheriff's office said.

Officers were called to the 900 block of Anderson Road in Donna around 3 p.m. Monday after a report of an unresponsive person identified only as a 75-year-old Hispanic man.

A family member had found the man, who had disappeared after he failed to return home from feeding the animals on the rural property.

He was found lying face down on the ground with abrasions on his hands and side, which the sheriff's office said in a news release Tuesday may have been caused by him being dragged.

Also on the property was a four-year-old bull who had shown “increasing aggressiveness over the past two months.”

The sheriff's office believes the victim “may have been assaulted.” The victim also had abrasions on his “arms, head and back, suggesting he may have been trampled upon.”

“Investigators also found fresh hoof prints near the victim's body, further suggesting the possibility of a bull attack,” the sheriff's press release said. The bull in question behaved aggressively toward investigators.

An autopsy ordered by a local justice of the peace found that the man had died of blunt force trauma to the chest and heart disease. His death was ruled an accident.

Anyone with information that could further assist the investigation is asked to call the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office at (956) 383-8114 or assist anonymously by calling the Hidalgo County Crime Stoppers tip line at (956) 668-TIPS (8477) or using the P3 TIPS app.