MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — An employee of an Idaho trucking company abandoned a trailer load of frozen chicken at a western Montana truck stop after the company reportedly refused a ransom demand.

The Missoulian reports that the trailer, dripping the juices of rotting chicken, was discovered at the Flying J Truck Stop west of Missoula on Tuesday. Truck stop manager Crystal Friede said the trailer had been there since at least Saturday. Missoula County sheriff's spokeswoman Paige Pavalone says Dixie River Freight Inc. of Nampa, Idaho, reported the trailer stolen.

It was loaded with 35,000 pounds of frozen chicken worth $80,000. The county health department was trying to determine the best way to dispose of the load while an insurance company will have to determine if the trailer could be cleaned well enough to use again.

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