 Their winter stores were running low so Mike decided to steal and slaughter some cattle belonging to a local rancher.The theft did not go unnoticed and a posse of four men went to the canyon to deal with the situation, but when the four entered, Mike and two of his oldest sons ambushed the posse and killed all of them on January 19.The bodies were later found mutilated and piled inside a cave by a search party on February 8, after which a posse of Nevada and California policemen and citizens were sent to apprehend the Daggett party.