Lost and Found

I forget to mention that last night Rick found another rattlesnake in the shop. Unfortunately it got away, so today at lunch time Rick went rattlesnake hunting in the shop. He found what he believed to be the same rattlesnake in the back corner of the shop. But get this, it was already dead!! And even weirder, its head and tail were missing!! I have no idea how it lost its beginning and end and it didn't look torn up or chewed. Rattlesnakes have very few predators with the most common being roadrunners, wild turkeys, king snakes and hawks. None of which hang out in the shop; typically attack full grown rattlesnakes or would just eat the head and tail and leave the meaty part alone. I am wondering if it died and some other animal ate part of it. Or did our next door neighbor kill it, bury the head as you are supposed to do and cut the rattle off as a souvenir and then an animal found it and carried it into the shop. Any other guesses?