ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Police on Friday morning discovered the remains of a goat stolen earlier this week from a Montessori school in St. Paul.
Officers who responded to reports of “suspicious items” at an address about 2.5 miles (4.02 kilometers) from the school found the remains of Hazelnut the goat in a plastic storage box, the Star Tribune reported.
The case is under investigation and no arrests have been made. The investigation found a “high likelihood” the goat is the one stolen between Monday night and Tuesday from the Great River School, according to a police sergeant.
The school has an animal care program that includes chickens and a garden students help look after. The school added three goats at the start of the last school year, in hopes of a larger project in which children learn to milk the goats and sell their milk or cheese to learn about economics, according to school volunteer Lynn Overvoorde.
“These goats have really become an ingrained part of the community, they’re more than just farm animals to us,” Overvoorde said.
The school had shared a flyer on Facebook that offered a $500 reward for finding the “beloved animal.”