Dead Longhorn Found at Oklahoma State Frat Ahead of Texas Big 12 Title Game Matchup

Officials from the Stillwater Police Department in Oklahoma announced Friday that a longhorn cow was found dead in the front lawn of a fraternity house near Oklahoma State University, according to ESPN.

Police were first notified of the incident at 6:30 a.m. when they received a call regarding the dead animal that was laid out in front of Farmhouse fraternity. The longhorn was found with an expletive carved into its side and its stomach was cut open, according to Kennedy Thomason of The O'Colly, Oklahoma State's student newspaper.

The crime comes just one day ahead of Saturday's Big 12 championship game between Texas—whose mascot is a longhorn—and Oklahoma State.

This goes way beyond the typical rivalry behavior, and officials say that the guilty party could be charged with animal cruelty, which is a a felony.

"It's a very cruel crime to be committed, especially right before the Big 12 Championship," officer TJ Low told Cheyenne Derksen and Jana Hayes of The Oklahoman. "Nothing is worth doing that kind of crap."

Oklahoma State condemned the actions in a statement, saying that it "is appalled at the disturbing display of animal cruelty ... at an off-campus location near a fraternity house." The university also said Stillwater police and OSU's office of student support and conduct are both in the middle of their own investigations and that "appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation."

As for the Farmhouse fraternity—which was ironically founded by agriculture students in 1905—a representative told Thomason that it was leaving the investigation and all the information pertaining to it up to the police.