Award-winning polo horse brutally slaughtered inside a Thermal area pasture
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| Photo Credit: Ben Smith |
Award-winning polo horse brutally slaughtered while inside a Thermal area pasture
Six-year-old mare shot multiple times Wednesday morning
For hemeteyenews.com
DISTURBING CRIME SCENE DISCOVERED
Thermal, Calif.; On Wednesday, September 30, 2015, at approximately 6:37 p.m., deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department's Thermal Sheriff's Station responded to the report of a possible incident involving animal cruelty in the 58400 block of Jackson Street. Jackson Street is located in the unincorporated community of Thermal within the Coachella Valley.
Upon arrival the responding deputies located a deceased horse with clear and obvious signs of trauma that resulted in the horse's death. After conducting an initial investigation deputies determined the horse's death was suspicious and the result of felonious criminal activity. Thermal Station Investigations responded and have been investigating this incident as an animal cruelty case.
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| Photo Courtesy of Empire Polo Club |
The horse in question, Missy, a 6-year-old mare, worth about $40,000, was shot at least five or six times in a pasture located on Jackson Street, where it's owner, Cameron Smith of Washington, boards his horses after the completion of the summer polo season.
Missy had recently been awarded Best Playing
Pony in the Seattle Polo Club Championship at the Seattle Polo & Equestrian Club this past August. Missy also recently played in matches at The Empire Polo Club in Indio.
A MYSTERY NEEDING TO BE SOLVED
In an interview with Anna Rumer of the Desert Sun, Cameron's father, Ben Smith, said he believed Missy may have been killed at or around 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when neighbors reported barking dogs in the area. Despite the sound of barking dogs, nobody reported hearing any gunshots that morning, adding to the mystery.
After Missy's body was first discovered, it was assumed she had possibly been attacked by coyotes until bullet wounds and a discarded bullet were later discovered near where Missy's body had been discovered.
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| Photo Courtesy of Empire Polo Club |
Investigators from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services had also responded to the location according to spokesman John Welsh, who said this case is one of the more bizarre his department has responded to.
"We deal with odd things all the time where you wonder what people are thinking," he said. "If it turns out that someone went purposely out of their way to hurt a horse, that's disgusting."
A PROMISING CAREER CUT SHORT
At only six-years-old, Missy had a long and promising career in front of her, according to Ben Smith; a future that will now never be realized.
"It was pretty devastating," Smith said. "Somebody has to be a pretty big coward to shoot a horse standing out in a field."
"It was pretty devastating," Smith said. "Somebody has to be a pretty big coward to shoot a horse standing out in a field."
The investigation is ongoing and investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services are intending to conduct a necropsy to further bring clarity to a crime that has left all those now involved baffled and wondering why.
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| Photo Credit Ben Smith |
Contact the writer: trevor.hemeteyenews@gmail.com
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