Thief shoots 3 cows, steals calf from Castro Valley rancher

CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A cattle rancher is at a loss as to who shot and killed three of his cows. One of his calves is also missing.

The incident happened on Peixoto Ranch on Eden Canyon Road in Castro Valley. There the cattle roam over a hundred acres.

Owner Josh Peixoto, a fifth generation cattle rancher, does a head count every couple of days, which is when he realized some of the cows were missing. He checked the property and found three of his cows shot to death near Eden Canyon Road and one of them had its tagged ear cut off.

"I was really upset and being a cattle rancher, and that's what I do for a living. Losing three of them, you know I lost about $10,000 just getting rid of those cattle," Peixoto said.

The long-term loss is even more, about $50,000 considering the cows had several more breeding years ahead of them. A calf is also missing and it's believed to have been stolen by the same person who pulled the trigger.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Department says it's working on some leads. A possible clue is a 9mm bullet casing found on the side of the road near the spot where the cows were shot.

Peixoto says he has no idea who would do such a thing. He says he has no enemies and no rivals, which is why he thinks kids may be responsible. He says he'll be more vigilant from here on out.

"Just keep a better watch on my cattle now and make sure people watch every day on them and make sure nothing goes missing," he said. "Hopefully, if someone does do it again, I catch them in the act doing what they're doing."