Horse found dead in front of home meant as a 'message'

SYLMAR, Calif — A gruesome sight in a California neighborhood has led authorities to investigate an animal cruelty case.

Neighbors saw a mutilated, dead horse in front of one of the homes in their neighborhood Saturday morning.

Police parked a car in front of the horse so that children would not see it.

"It just appears from marks on the body of the horse and on the head of the horse, that the horse was either beat or shot or both," Los Angeles Police Department  Detective Eric Bixler told KCAL9.

"They tied the rope to the tail and tied that rope to the telephone pole and drove off with the truck or the trailer," he said.

A neighbor said the horse lived in a stable and was seen being loaded into a truck Friday night.

Authorities think the horse was left there as a message.

"We found some evidence at the scene and we believe that there will be an arrest sometime in the future," police said.

KNBC reported that the horse was taken for a necropsy.

The LAPD Animal Cruelty Task Force is investigating.

Cox Media Group