A ranch sometimes seems like a collection of horrible ways to die.

My family's ranch, Hamel Hills, is no exception to that.

Family legend told us that the first Hamel to come out here, Zebediah Hamel, would have been 1864,

was stampeded by his own cattle, who were set off by bandits.

His oldest son tracked down those bandits and killed them, though it cost him both his legs,

but he and his sibling said it was worth it.

Our blood is in this land now.

This is Dana Hamill. She's a rancher.

Gitty up!

A lasso champion? A hell of a trick shot.

Whoa! Six for six! That was just warm up!

A really good guitar player and a bereaved daughter.

I was away at college when I heard the news.

Can you imagine getting that call out of the blue?

Especially when he died so gruesomely.

Dana's father, Dan Hamill, was found dead in one of his own grain bins, having been mangled by an auger, dragging him down and trapping him.

My father was reckless, but he wasn't stupid.

He wouldn't have entered that bin without the auger turned off, no matter if he was drinking or angry or anything.

And the investigation was cursory at best.

It was judged an accident, just like that. They just picked up the pieces, dumped what those left of them in a bucket, and moved on.

But questions linger.

Why did Dan go out to the bin in the first place?

...