As per reports, Jared and Misty Blackwelder went out to feed their dairy cows comfortable in the knowledge that the recent flooding in their area had passed.
There were storm clouds gathering on the horizon and rumbling to be heard in the distance, but the Blackwelders decided to leave their 32-strong humble herd to graze in their pasture until the evening.
Little did Jared and Misty know, however, that they would return to a devastating scene just a few hours later.
All 32 of their dairy cows were said to have been struck by lightning, killing them all and leaving only a pile of corpses for Jared and Misty to find.
The Wright County Missouri Farm Bureau posted images of the dairy cows at the time, encouraging readers to pray for the Blackwelders.
“It’s a common occurrence. It does happen,” MFB President Stan Cody told CBS News. “The thing that made this the worst was just the sheer number of cows that were affected.”
A local veterinarian inspected the Blackwelders’ herd and confirmed that lightning had been the cause of death. Reportedly, he had never seen a lightning strike kill more than six cows at any one time, though given the circumstances, Jared and Misty’s animals may have been huddling together to shelter from the storm.
The heartbroken Jared said: “It’s not like they are pets. But the ones I’m milking, I’ve raised every one of them.
“Dairy cattle are a little different because you mess with them twice a day. It knocks you hard.”
Not only that, but with each cow valued at between $2,000 and $2,500, the Blackwelders estimated a total loss of more than $60,000.