Champion goat goes missing from Colorado county fair

An award-winning goat has gone missing from a Colorado county fair, leaving its teenage owner and organizers stumped, local media said on Thursday.

The red-colored Boer breed goat, selected by judges as a grand champion, was last seen in an unlocked pen late on Sunday night and had been due to appear in the Weld County fair's Junior Livestock Auction on Monday.

Lanas Smith, father of the 18-year-old owner David Smith, said the family has no idea what happened to it.

"I don't really want to insinuate that someone stole the goat at this point," Smith told the Greeley Tribune newspaper.

Despite the absence of the animal, it was still auctioned for $5,500 for charity at the county fair.

Whether or not the goat is found, Smith told the Tribune, his son will still get that money, which he plans to donate to a horse-assisted therapy project at Colorado State University.