COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – A horse was found slaughtered for its meat in a Golden Gate Estates pasture, Collier County deputies said.
According to a Facebook post, deputies were called to a pasture off Immokalee Road after the remains of a horse were found just before 8 a.m.
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An unknown person entered the pasture sometime between midnight and 5 a.m. and led the horse to a neighboring pasture where they butchered the animal, deputies said.
The investigation is ongoing, and deputies are asking anyone with information on the incident to call the sheriff’s office at (239) 775-8477.
Similar incidents of horses being butchered for their meat have been reported before in Sumter County in December of 2019.
A few weeks prior, News 6 spoke with a Marion County family in November after their horse was found dead. The family believes their horse was also slaughtered for its meat.
Another case was reported in Manatee County on Dec. 1. The sheriff even offered three rewards totaling $13,000 for any helpful tips in the case.
The Sheriff’s Office posted video (see below) of a van wanted in connection with the Manatee County case.
It’s unknown if any of these cases are related. News 6 has reached out for updates in all of these cases.
The map below shows the location of the four reported horse slaughter cases flagged by the date the crime was reported, including the most recent case reported Friday.
