A $45,000 reward has been offered for information to the arrest of those responsible for the death of a rare white buffalo that is said to be sacred to the Lakota Sioux Native Americans.

Last Monday on April 30, Lightning Medicine Cloud, was found butchered and skinned. The next day, the white buffalo's mother, Buffalo Woman, was found dead. Killed just shy of its first birthday, Lightning Medicine Cloud, and all-white buffalo, is considered sacred to the Lakota Sioux, reported NBC.

Arby Little Soldier, great-great-great grandson of Sitting Bull, is the owner and operator of the Lakota Ranch. He cared for the slaughtered calf and discovered its remains after returning to Greenville from a trip to Oklahoma City.

Someone who probably knew we were out of town killed him and stripped the meat, Little Soldier said, according to the Star-Telegram. I could tell it was him because of the white hair that was left on the head and tail.

When the mother discovered her dead calf, she appeared very ill. She eventually began to eat as Little Soldier began caring for her and removing Lightning Medicine Cloud's remains. The next morning, she was found dead in about a 20-foot radius from where she gave birth to Lightning, said Little Solider.

He was unsure exactly how Buffalo Woman died, but he believes that she may have been shot with a poisonous arrow because he discovered a small mark on her dead body. However, no arrow has been found.

I think it was a professional hit on the mom, Little Soldier said, according to the Star-Telegram. It was a slow death.

The Hunt County Sheriff's Department, the Texas Rangers and the Bureau of Indian Affairs are investigating the incident.

Thus far, the investigation has concluded that neither were killed by natural causes, according to a statement on the Lakota Ranch website. This crime is too senseless to imagine and our hearts are heavy with sadness.

On May 12, 2011, Lightning Medicine Cloud was born on the ranch. Little Soldier reported that the occurrence of a white buffalo is a one-in-several-million occurrence that is part of a centuries-old American Indian prophecy, reported Catholic.org.

The arrival of the white buffalo is like the second coming of Christ, says Floyd Hand Looks For Buffalo, an Oglala Medicine Man from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, according to the Lakota Ranch website. It will bring about purity of mind, body, and spirit and unify all nations--black, red, yellow, and white. He sees the birth of a white calf as an omen because they happen in the most unexpected places and often among the poorest people in the nation. The birth of the sacred white buffalo provides those within the Native American community with a sense of hope and an indication that good times are to come.

Little Soldier initially offered $5,000 for any information leading to the arrest of those involved. However, the reward has grown as others began to donate to the fund.

Little Soldier had planned to host a so-called powwow for the calf's first birthday on May 11-12. The event is still scheduled to take place, but it has been changed to a memorial service.

On April 3, Lightning Medicine Cloud's father, Gentle Ben, was killed when it was struck by a bolt of lightning.

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