ZONE 7: Poisoned Meatballs and Wolf Justice | Special Agent Ed Newcomer
Crime Stories with Nancy Grace7 Sep

ZONE 7: Poisoned Meatballs and Wolf Justice | Special Agent Ed Newcomer

A Special Agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for over 20 years, Ed Newcomer worked in Los Angeles in a variety of international posts before retiring in 2022. During his career, he conducted numerous high-profile international wildlife trafficking investigations involving every continent, including Antarctica, and is known for bringing down some of our planet's most notorious wildlife criminals. He is a recipient of the Humane Law Enforcement Award from the Humane Society of the United States and holds a record six Law Enforcement Awards from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

Listeners can learn more about Ed Newcomer on his podcast - Nature’s Secret Service, and on LinkedIn @EdNewcomer

In February 2004, an Idaho hiking trail became a deadly crime scene when 58 elk-meat “meatballs” laced with a lethal pesticide were scattered in a known wolf habitat. The suspect’s goal? Kill endangered gray wolves. What followed was an extraordinary, boots-in-the-snow investigation involving forensics, environmental science, and sheer tenacity.

In this episode of Zone 7, Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum, and Ed Newcomer, a retired special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, walk us through the forensic lab breakthroughs that tied the poison, the elk meat, and even a suspect’s boots directly to the scene. Along the way, you'll hear how a rookie game warden’s decision to bag “yellow snow” ended up sealing the case.

If you’re heading to CrimeCon, don't miss Sheryl and Ed on the main stage for Creator’s Row. They’ll be covering another unbelievable wildlife crime case live and in person. Y’all are gonna want a front-row seat!

Highlights:

  • (0:00) Crime Scene Investigator, Sheryl McCollum welcomes Ed back to Zone 7
  • (1:30) Poison: sneaky deadly, and a nightmare to investigate
  • (3:00) Yellowstone wolves: hunted down, written off, and finally restored and protected
  • (6:45) A dog finds a meatball... and the day goes downhill from there
  • (12:00) 58 meatballs, one drainage area, a hiking trail, and a whole lot of collateral damage
  • (18:00) A hunting boot with a missing nub becomes a critical lead
  • (21:15) Rookie collects “yellow snow” (and yes, it matters later)
  • (24:00) Forensics lab confirms the type of meat and poison
  • (25:45) “If I see a wolf, I’m gonna kill it.” A memorable encounter from years prior helps hone in on a suspect
  • (32:45) Search warrant yields boots, poison, elk blood, and hostile bumper stickers
  • (40:00) DNA results confirm the elk in the poisoned meatballs came from the suspect’s home
  • (43:00) Why being a wildlife officer is one of the most dangerous law enforcement jobs
  • (45:45) Influenza, frozen urine, and a guilty plea
  • (53:45) “It all starts with the wolves.” —Peter Wohlleben

If you’re enjoying Zone 7, please consider leaving a rating and review —it helps others discover the show and supports our mission to share these stories.

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Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, Forensic and Crime Scene Expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and a CSI for a metro Atlanta Police Department. She is the co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. Sheryl is also the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a collaboration between universities and colleges that brings researchers, practitioners, students, and the criminal justice community together to advance techniques in solving cold cases and assist families and law enforcement with solvability factors for unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnapping cases.

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