After 14 horses were shot, killed in Kentucky, Humane Society adds $5,000 to reward
The Humane Society of the United States has added $5,000 to the growing reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for shooting and killing at least 14 horses in Floyd County.
The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and veterinarians were going back to the scene at a large, abandoned strip mine, on Thursday to gather more evidence and information for its investigation.
The investigation began Monday when a man reported he discovered five of his horses dead, according to the humane society. The next day, deputies and members of Dumas Animal Rescue, found nine additional horses at the adjacent strip mine, the humane society added.
Some of the horses were young or pregnant, according to WYMT. The Floyd County Sheriff told the TV station “it looked like a battlefield for just horses.”
Many of the horses are a part of a herd of 35 horses that roam the area, according to the Floyd County Chronicle.
The Floyd County Chronicle reported that an autopsy will be done on a horse this week to determine a cause of death.
“I’m just, I’m sick,” Tonya Conn of Dumas Rescue told the Floyd Chronicle & Times. “I am past understanding any reason or rhyme for this.”
Five of the horses were found close together in a 50-yard space, Megan Goble told NPR. Goble, whose family owns part of the land, added that other horses were scattered across the strip mine and some may not have been found yet.
Donations have been pouring in to add to the reward, which started at $500. The Humane Society’s $5,000 reward brought the total reward to $15,000, WKYT reported, and by Friday afternoon it had grown to $20,000.
The Floyd County Chronicle & Times reported the Kentucky Equine Adoption Center, Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Helen Woodward Animal Center and Dumas Rescue contributed to the reward, along with local donors.
“It takes a truly heinous person to mercilessly shoot more than a dozen horses and leave them for dead,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “We hope this reward will encourage anyone with information about this terrible crime to come forward.”
The sheriff’s office is following up on several leads it has received, the humane society wrote.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, the sheriff’s office thanked the public for its support aiding in the case.
“It has been heartbreaking seeing these beautiful horses killed, but it has equally been heartwarming to see all the concerns and see all the support in assisting in the investigation and to give the living horses a good home,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
This story was originally published December 19, 2019 at 4:17 PM.