Deputies: Horse in Manatee County stolen from owner, slaughtered for meat

Deputies in Manatee County say they are investigating a terrible case of animal abuse: A horse was stolen from a woman’s property, taken to a nearby field and slaughtered for its meat.

Deputies said they were summoned to the 5800 block of Buckeye Road in the Palmetto area Monday. They were told that sometime between 5 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday, someone entered the property through a locked gate and stole the horse.

The horse’s owner and deputies searched the area and found the horse dead in a nearby field.

“The horse had been slaughtered for its meat,” a news release from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office states. “No other details are available at this time.”

The Times has written before about the issue of horses being stolen and slaughtered for meat. Our staff writers Justine Griffin and Tracey McManus -- both horse owners -- wrote about the issue in this story, which featured a woman whose horse also was stolen from near this area in Manatee County.

Deputies are urging anyone with information about this case to call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at (941) 747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at (866) 634-TIPS.