CRESTVIEW, Florida — A female goat might have been sexually assaulted and killed Saturday near the Okaloosa-Walton county line, according to lawmen and the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society.

PAWS’ director of animal services, Dee Thompson-Poirrier, described the crime scene off U.S. Highway 90 as “brutal.”

The goat’s death was suspicious, but there was no evidence it was the victim of a ritualistic animal sacrifice, she said.

The incident was reported by the goat’s owners, a Crestview couple, according to authorities. They couldn’t be reached for comment Monday.

Responders used a rape kit provided by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office to preserve evi-dence in line with crime-scene standards.

“It was the only clean way we knew of to get a specimen,” Thompson-Poirrier said.

Semen was found inside the goat, but PAWS was still trying to find a laboratory that could quickly process the sample because the Florida Department of Law Enforcement is backlogged.

Though the semen hasn’t been proven as human, Thompson-Poirrier and a veterinarian who examined the goat want the semen tested and compared to the state’s convicted-felon database.

“The goat owner does not have male goats (anymore),” Thompson-Poirrier said. She added the large goat was pregnant.

It has since been necropsied, and tissue samples, which should help determine a cause of death, were taken. The goat will be cremated.

A human suspect has been tentatively identified but police haven’t made an arrest yet, according to Thompson-Poirrier and lawmen.

She said the incident, which would be a felony because the animal died, is being taken seriously.

“We’re concerned that an individual who can do this can escalate into doing something worse,” she said.