Five horses have been killed in Pearland, south of Houston, in less than four months, according to police.
The Pearland Police Department says the latest horse deaths were discovered on Saturday when two pets were found butchered.
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Their owner called the police after she noticed two horses were missing and a portion of a fence on her property had been cut.
The carcasses of the animals were discovered about a half-mile away in another property. Their backstraps and hindquarters had been removed, police said.
Pearland police made a similar grisly discovery on June 10. In that case, the horse was fatally stabbed in the chest.
“The suspects then removed the animal’s backstraps and the front and hindquarters leading investigators to believe the animal was killed for its meat,” police said.
The horse’s owner, Tyler Bockel, told Fox 26 at the time that he found his horse, Goldie, dead on the ground and his other horse, Sugar, alive and tied to a tree branch.
“I hit the ground immediately...” he told the station, adding that she was “murdered.”
“Nobody should ever have to go through that and see what I’ve seen,” he said.
Two additional horses were found dead on May 22 and June 29 near the Sam Houston Toll Road.
“The Pearland Police Department (is) encouraging horse owners and residents to be vigilant and report all suspicious activities,” police said in a release.
Officers are asking anyone with information to contact the Pearland Police Department at 281-997-4202 or email a detective at JPage@PearlandTx.Gov.