Trail of Decapitated Animals Found in Miami Neighborhood

​Residents of two blocks of a Miami neighborhood awoke this morning to find their street littered with the corpses of dozens of headless animals, NBC Miami reports. Neighbors heard a loud boom early in the morning and came outside to discover the stench and sight of the bodies.

The incident happened around 16th Terrace and 15th Terrace on 34th Avenue in Miami. Bodies of goats, cats and several types of birds were found scattered through out the neighborhood.

Police are scratching their heads as to the motive. They believe the animals may have been part of a ritual linked to Santeria.

That religion is practiced through out South Florida, and animal sacrifices are common and, if done correctly, legal. Though, practitioners usually sacrifice the animals more humanely, and they are often eaten afterward. Cats are also not usually part of the rituals.

A particularly morbid Halloween prank may also be at play.

One resident told NBC Miami that judging from the smell the animals may have been dead for sometime before they were scattered on the street.

[NBC Miami: Neighbors Wake to Headless Animals Halloween Mystery]