Cattle rustling still a problem in Missouri

A woman pulls off a road near Golden City and starts photographing cattle in a field. Just a pretty picture, she tells the owner — and nothing seems suspicious until the woman is gone and the owner notices a short strip of masking tape placed on the fence gate.

That woman was no casual passer-by with a camera, says southwest Missouri cattleman David Brown. She was a scout for a rustling operation, and the 4-inch piece of tape she left on the gate marked the field for thieves who would come along later.