US | bald eagle Feds: Humans Killed 13 Bald Eagles in Maryland Reward upped to $25K By Rob Quinn Posted Mar 11, 2016 2:30 AM CST Copied In this Feb. 20, 2016, photo, a bald eagle lies dead in Federalsburg, Md. (Officer First Class Robert Karge/Maryland Natural Resources Police via AP) A bald eagle mass murder? The US Fish and Wildlife Service says it has tested 13 bald eagles found dead near a Maryland farm last month and concluded that they were killed by humans, NBC News reports. An agency spokeswoman tells the Baltimore Sun that avian influenza and other diseases were ruled out in the state's biggest die-off of the birds in at least 30 years, and the investigation is now focused on "human causes" and bringing the offenders to justice. The birds showed no sign of trauma and the Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman says investigators know how they died, but that information will not be released to avoid compromising the investigation. Bald eagles are a protected species and the reward leading to the culprits in this case has been raised to $25,000. Read These Next The 60 Minutes segment that was abruptly pulled has now been aired. It's a largely invisible nightmare for many families. Elon Musk just made a big donation to a pro-Trump candidate. Treatment delay was deadly for pregnant cop with atrial fibrillation. Report an error