Hogs eat Oregon farmer
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RIVERTON, Ore. - A farmer's hogs ate too much of his body for a forensics expert to determine what caused the man's death, the Coos County District Attorney said.
The remains of Terry Vance Garner, 70, will undergo further examination by a forensic anthropologist at the University of Oregon in an attempt to determine what caused the man's death, District Attorney Paul Frasier said.
Garner was last seen Wednesday morning when he went to feed animals on his farm on Highway 42S.
When he didn't return home, a family member went to look for him and found Garner's dentures near the hog enclosure.
Parts of Garner's body were found in the hog pen. Frasier said investigators believe the hogs consumed the majority of Garner's body.
The Coos County Sheriff is investigating how Garner got in a position to be eaten by his pigs.
Among the theories investigators are pursuing:
- Garner suffered a health issue, like a heart attack, which put him in a position where the hogs could eat him.
- Given his age and health, one or more of the hogs knocked him to the ground, killed him and ate him. The hogs weigh 700 pounds or more, Frasier said. There are also reports that at least one of the hogs had been aggressive toward Garner in the past.
Frasier said investigators will also work to rule out if Garner was the victim of foul play.
"Due to the unusual circumstances," Frasier said, "the Sheriff's Office is investigating to determine if foul play may have resulted in the death of Mr. Garner."
The initial examination Saturday of Garner's remains left his cause of death as "undetermined."
Frasier hopes the expert from the UO can provide further insight into what led to Garner's death.
not knowing if he was alive or dead when the pigs started to eat him,I can not for the life of me think any of this is funny,sad yes, a man who was a good person and died like this isnt the least bit funny to me.
I wonder who's plate they are going to end up on! Are they going to be destroyed or will they be slaughtered for food? I mean hey we might as well turn Canibals. Pigs are so disgusting!
Wanted some payback!
In this season's Hell on Wheels (on AMC channel), one of the characters was thrown to the hogs to dispose of the remains after he was murdered. I know we often see real life in TV and TV in real life, but I wasn't expecting this scenario to be one of them. I do hope that he did not suffer by the mouths of the hogs and that he either had a medical issue or other so he was unaware of his actual demise. Prayers to the family.
What a tragic thing to happen. My condolences to his family. I'd also hope that they totally ignore the heartless comments that a person has chosen to put on here. That person needs to remember the old adage...."if you can't say anything nice, then say nothing at all".Â
I knew Mr. Garner he was a kind and gentle person who raised his animals not for food but sold the weiner pig babies, so tragic and sad for the whole riverton and surrounding communities who knew him...
 @becca OK, I'm stumped. (This happens almost never, so feel good, eh?) What are "weiner pig babies"? And what is the use in keeping pigs if not for bacon? Frankly, I cannot think of a single one.
 @Calgacus  @becca I read he also gave pigs to local 4H children.
Can't have bacon without producing more pigs Einstein.
 @Calgacus  @becca Calgacus: Weiner pigs are baby pigs that people take home to raise for themselves for whatever reason. They usually want them to raise for food, but some people actually do keep them for pets or to breed.
was that a civil comment, Calgacus?
 @cannarossi No.
 @cannarossi It was not, however, sexist, racist, etc. I just think the story is funny, and I don't post prayers on the internet so I can break my arm off patting my own back, like so many here.
Oh Calgacus...You should'nt be on mommies computer Son. Leave the comments section to the adults and run along now.
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 @Calgacus You may want to think about how you would feel if this happened to someone you care about. Apparently, you have no sense of empathy for others, especially the elderly. Must be nice to be so perfect that you can judge others and expect it not to come back on you. Good luck with that.
I worked on that farm in 1981 for the summer when I was between high school and college!! I don't specifically recall Mr. Garner though. They also had worm beds upstairs in one of the barns above the hog pens. Wow...what a small world.
 @OregonOrator Worm beds? I'm sure they are well fed. Life is unexpected, huh?
What a terrible thing to happen. I feel badly for the family.Â
 @souptonuts You should do a better job of feeling then, Soup!
Wow! Poor Mr. Garner. Very tragic.
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Brings new meaning to being consumed by your life's work.