PALMETTO, Fla. (WWSB) - Deputies in Manatee County are looking for the person or people who stole a horse and then slaughtered it in Palmetto.

The sheriff's office says sometime between 5 pm on Sunday and 8 am Monday, December 1st, 2023. in this case, the suspects forced their way through a locked gate onto the victim's ranch on the 5800 block of Buckeye Road and stole the horse. Deputies and the victim searched the area and found the horse dead in a nearby field. It had been slaughtered for its meat.

On Thursday, the sheriff's office released surveillance video of the person of interest. The person of interest walked up to the stables, where the horse was stolen and later slaughtered.

According to a report, security video recorded a man at the Palmetto stables where a horse was stolen and killed for its meat.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS.

RESOURCES
Person of interest sought in slaughter of horse in Manatee County
Surveillance video shows person of interest before horse was stolen, killed for meat
Deputies looking for suspects who stole horse, slaughtered it for its meat in Manatee County
Stolen horse found slaughtered for its meat in Palmetto, deputies say