Headless torso, ostrich found in Buffalo Cave

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In August,1979 a family outing to Craters of the Moon, a volcanic field and national park in southern Idaho, took a turn for the macabre as the family dug for arrowheads in Buffalo Cave, one of over 500 caves discovered so far within the park.  While excavating the cave floor they found not artifacts but the remains of a adult man, his head, arms, and legs severed and missing and resting in a shallow grave.



The torso was shrouded in burlap and wearing a pink shirt with a maroon sweater.  Authorities had difficulty identifying the man, though he was suspected to be an alcoholic shepherd named 'John', who had gone missing.  With no leads or way to identify the body, the case went cold.



Over a decade later a young girl exploring the same cave made another gruesome discovery; human limbs wrapped in burlap, buried shallowly in the floor of the cave.  This time the cave is searched thoroughly in hopes for finding the head, but all that is uncovered are the bones of a ostrich.  Police believe the bird to be a escapee from a nearby farm who wandered into the caves and died from exposure.

While the case has been reopened and the body tested for DNA, no solid evidence has been found, and the case remains open.


Buffalo Cave, on the other hand, has suffered instability in recent years and sections of the cave have collapsed.  If you want to explore the dark subterranean world at Craters of the Moon it is recommended you come fully prepared and heed all warning signs.


Unlike our mysterious ostrich.

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