BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A Barrow County family said a group of people came onto their property and brutally killed their pet llama and alpaca.
The family says they shot one of their many alpacas in the lung and then shot their llama at point blank range and cut it.
Angie Gilliland started her company Gilliland's Heritage Alpacas with her husband in 2005.
They raise and sell alpacas and sell alpaca fiber which is used to make hats, scarves and sweaters. She said the animals are expensive.
“The female killed was a $30,000 female. So we have a loss of $35,000,” she said.
Gilliland said early Saturday, around 1:30 a.m., a group of people shot her alpaca named Sandi Lynn in the left lung.
“She was a blue ribbon winner alpaca,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland said they then trapped her 500-pound llama named Patches.
Gilliland says someone shot him twice at point blank range.
“When we rolled him over, we saw two shots in the abdomen and saw his ear sliced all the way down to his jaw,” she said.
She said the group proceeded to chase their alpacas across their farm and turned over a large fan in the process. Gilliland, who said the alpacas are her family’s livelihood, and got emotional several times during an interview with Channel 2’s Craig Lucie.
“It’s heartbreaking to know someone so cruel enough to hurt an innocent animal. They don't have hooves to kick you. They don't have teeth to bite you,” she said.
An investigator with the Barrow County Sheriff's Office has been assigned the case. The Gilliland's are still piecing together how their beloved animals became trapped because they say it was never easy to catch their llama.
“We knew (it was) more than one. It takes two people to give him a shot,” Gilliland said.
There is currently an $800 reward being offered in the case and the family says people who want to help can donate to the reward fund. For more information, visit the Gilliland Heritage Alpacas Facebook page.