Two Aldine ISD students won’t be able to compete in Thursday’s livestock show with their turkeys after the animals were stabbed and killed overnight.
Denise Higbee says she wants justice for her daughter Olivia’s 13 FFA turkeys that were stabbed in their pen days before they were going to be shown at the district’s livestock show.
“They were big. Like 30-pound turkeys,” said Higbee. “And now, she has nothing to show.”
Higbee said her daughter last saw them alive around 7 p.m. Tuesday night in their pen in the district’s locked barn behind Gloria B. Sammons Elementary School, which is only accessible with a code.
Higbee said Olivia made the heartbreaking discovery around 6 a.m. Wednesday.
After buying the turkey, feeding them, and raising them over the last year, now the 11th grader doesn’t have any turkeys to make the sale.
“‘I hope they get what they have coming to them ‘cause that’s not fair,” Higbee said. “You’re taking scholarship money away from my daughter’s college.”
Michelle Rodrigues said the cruel person also stabbed two of her show turkeys in her pen.
Now, Rodrigues can’t compete either.
“Every single day, I’ve been there for four months and it means a lot to me,” Rodrigues said. “So, for it to just be ruined in one single day, I just can’t believe any of this.”
Rodrigues said she was hoping to use the money for college and to raise more animals.
The district issued a statement saying in part, “The Aldine ISD police department is currently investigating this incident, and security measures have been put in place to protect other students’ projects. We will use all of our resources we have to identify the person or persons responsible.”
Olivia was able to show her steer during Wednesday’s livestock show because that animal, which was located in the same barn, was not harmed.
Higbee has created a GoFundMe page to help all the students who lost their livestock.