- Three horses died and eight are malnourished in a case of animal cruelty in southern Utah, officials said on Thursday.
- The Iron County Sheriff's Office discovered the horses after receiving a tip and serving a search warrant.
- It's unclear how long the horses will be at the animal shelter or where they will eventually go.
CEDAR CITY — Three horses have died, and eight others are severely malnourished in a case of animal cruelty in southern Utah, officials said.
Investigators found the horses on Wednesday afternoon on a property off Highway 130, south of the Parowan Gap and north of Enoch, in Iron County, according to Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter. He said the sheriff's office first received a tip and then served a search warrant before discovering the horses.
"There were two that were already dead in the corrals and one that wasn't able to stand on its own that we had to have put down by a vet last night," Carpenter said. "The rest of them are malnourished and weak."
The surviving horses are now at the Iron County sheriff's animal shelter, southwest of Cedar City, and are being slowly fed to help them regain their health.
"I've seen some dogs in pretty bad shape," said Ray Rodriguez, animal control deputy. "I've never seen horses this bad. Not in person."
Rodriguez said the horses "obviously were not fed or watered for quite some time. It takes a while to get them this way."
The Iron County sheriff said investigators have a suspect but haven't made contact with him and aren't saying who he is yet.
"We're not quite sure what his deal is," Carpenter said.
The county attorney will decide on any potential charges, the sheriff added.
Initially, the Iron County Sheriff's Office pleaded for bales of hay and tarps for the horses, and community members quickly donated them.
"We've gotten so many people (to) step up and contact us offering food, offering donations, offering medical supplies," Rodriguez said. "The community has been great. They've stepped up this way for us before, and I can always count on them."
It's unclear how long the horses will be at the animal shelter or where they will eventually go. All told, this has been a difficult case for sheriff's deputies to deal with.
"It's pretty depressing," Rodriguez said. "It'll bring a grown man to tears when you see a horse with something like this, in this condition. Absolutely."
Those wishing to donate additional items should contact the Iron County sheriff's animal shelter at (435) 867-7500.
