San Diego has always been a city of hidden stories — murmured in the spaces between sun-bleached bungalows, whispered over backyard fences, and now, increasingly, shouted into the digital void of neighborhood apps. And nowhere are these narratives more brutally and hilariously exposed than on Nextdoor, the social media platform that has become the city's most unfiltered confessional.
San Diego’s College Area, home to SDSU, is a lively mix of rowdy student housing, longtime locals wondering how they wound up living next to a frat house, and an impressive number of 24-hour taco shops. Historically, this area was once rolling hills and farmland. Today, the most common wildlife sightings include lost freshmen, roaming packs of Greek pledges, and seagulls that have no business being so far inland. But recently, something more sinister was discovered in one of its canyons: a decapitated goat.
The Original Post
“Illegal animal dumping and trash dumping in the SDSU area! We found two dead animals dumped in our canyon in the last month. One was a decomposed skull and bones that appeared to be a dog, and this past week, there was a trash bag with a decapitated goat in it. No blood, weird! If anyone is missing a goat, let me know.”
Comments/Observations
1. “Probably Claudia Gonzalez practicing ‘Santeria’ (evil religious cult). Now suing SDSU after they fired her for leaving dead animals around campus.”
For context, Claudia Gonzalez was indeed dismissed from SDSU for leaving dead baby chickens on campus as part of a Santeria ritual. Her lawsuit argues that her religious practices were misunderstood and that she was wrongfully terminated on the grounds of religious discrimination. While the media had a field day spinning her into some sort of campus witch doctor, her case is actually about First Amendment rights. Freedom of religion is a tricky business!
2. Beth: “Wow… what is this town coming to? I’ve watched too many true crime shows on ID. If I saw that trash bag, I would have been afraid of finding human body parts in it. A decapitated goat is pretty disgusting too. Why don’t these people at least throw the bag in a dumpster instead of a canyon in a very populated area?”
Fair question — and fair concern, after that suitcase situation a while back.
Karen J: “So creepy. All neighbors should keep an eye out when someone parks at that illegal dump site.”
Not just that dumpsite: any canyon, apparently.
Michael: “If you come across any animals with human clothing on them, do not touch it with your hands. In some traditions, a priest will put the cursed person’s clothing on a goat, call the dark spirit to the animal, and kill it, sending the dark spirit back to where it came from.”

San Diego has always been a city of hidden stories — murmured in the spaces between sun-bleached bungalows, whispered over backyard fences, and now, increasingly, shouted into the digital void of neighborhood apps. And nowhere are these narratives more brutally and hilariously exposed than on Nextdoor, the social media platform that has become the city's most unfiltered confessional.
San Diego’s College Area, home to SDSU, is a lively mix of rowdy student housing, longtime locals wondering how they wound up living next to a frat house, and an impressive number of 24-hour taco shops. Historically, this area was once rolling hills and farmland. Today, the most common wildlife sightings include lost freshmen, roaming packs of Greek pledges, and seagulls that have no business being so far inland. But recently, something more sinister was discovered in one of its canyons: a decapitated goat.
The Original Post
“Illegal animal dumping and trash dumping in the SDSU area! We found two dead animals dumped in our canyon in the last month. One was a decomposed skull and bones that appeared to be a dog, and this past week, there was a trash bag with a decapitated goat in it. No blood, weird! If anyone is missing a goat, let me know.”
Comments/Observations
1. “Probably Claudia Gonzalez practicing ‘Santeria’ (evil religious cult). Now suing SDSU after they fired her for leaving dead animals around campus.”
For context, Claudia Gonzalez was indeed dismissed from SDSU for leaving dead baby chickens on campus as part of a Santeria ritual. Her lawsuit argues that her religious practices were misunderstood and that she was wrongfully terminated on the grounds of religious discrimination. While the media had a field day spinning her into some sort of campus witch doctor, her case is actually about First Amendment rights. Freedom of religion is a tricky business!
2. Beth: “Wow… what is this town coming to? I’ve watched too many true crime shows on ID. If I saw that trash bag, I would have been afraid of finding human body parts in it. A decapitated goat is pretty disgusting too. Why don’t these people at least throw the bag in a dumpster instead of a canyon in a very populated area?”
Fair question — and fair concern, after that suitcase situation a while back.
Karen J: “So creepy. All neighbors should keep an eye out when someone parks at that illegal dump site.”
Not just that dumpsite: any canyon, apparently.
Michael: “If you come across any animals with human clothing on them, do not touch it with your hands. In some traditions, a priest will put the cursed person’s clothing on a goat, call the dark spirit to the animal, and kill it, sending the dark spirit back to where it came from.”
