$5,000 reward offered to find suspect who slaughtered 5 horses in Pearland

PEARLAND, Texas (KTRK) -- The Humane Society is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that can help lead to the arrest of the suspect or suspects who killed and butchered five horses over the past four months.

According to Pearland police, since May, five horses were stolen from their pastures in the Houston and Pearland area. Just last week, the remains of the stolen horses were found in a cluster of locations along South Beltway 8 near Pearland.

Four of the five cases were reported from Hooper Road and all five horses were discovered dead and dismembered by their owners in or near the pastures where the horses were living, police said.

The first killing happened in late May and was reported to HPD.

"She was a gift from my father," Tina Amaya said of the paint mare she and her family loved. "We never rode her, we just wanted our horses to have the best and happiest life possible."

From that memory to the one she cannot forget, when she found the remains behind a tree line in the pasture just after Memorial Day. "My husband and I were looking for her, and when we saw it, we couldn't process what had happened."

HPD is working with Pearland, where three horses were killed, and Harris County, which also has a case. Two of the horses belonged to Carl Smith.

"It hurts a lot," said Smith, who rode each of his horses. "I know what they're doing. They're cutting them up and selling the meat."

Police said the horses were found dead with ropes around their necks. All of the horses' back straps and front and back hindquarters had been butchered and removed, according to officers.

RELATED: Horses found killed and butchered for meat near S. Beltway

"The cruelty these horses endured, and the subsequent dismemberment of their bodies is incredibly disturbing," said Lauren Loney, the Texas state director of the Humane Society of the United States. "We hope our reward will help ensure the person or persons responsible for such horrific cruelty will be found and brought to justice."

Anyone with information regarding this case that can help lead to the identification and arrest of the suspect is urged to contact the Pearland Police Department at 281-997-4202 or email a detective at JPage@PearlandTx.Gov. The Houston Crime Stoppers is also taking tips regarding animal cruelty at 713-222-8477.

The video above is from a previous story.