Slaughtered horses found in Kendall

People living in Kendall's horse country on edge after finding

KENDALL, Fla. – Investigators found three horse carcasses at the end of a street in a residential neighborhood in Kendall, leaving people living there on edge.

"It is sad for the animal. It is inhumane what is going on," said Barbie Pardo, who lives in the neighborhood where the remains were found. "How can you do that to animals? It's unbelievable."

"I haven't seen a horse dumped in a residential area like this -- I don't think ever," said Richard Couto with the Animal Recover Mission.

Couto said the butchers are getting more brazen. The remains were found in the area of Southwest 81st Terrace and 123rd Avenue, near the Kendall Plaza 124 Shopping Center. Investigators believe the horses were killed on Wednesday evening.

Couto said one of the horses was 2-year-old, 500-pound horse which was cut into 150 pieces.

"When you see a lot of trauma to the head area and you know the animal was probably beaten with a bat because he wouldn't go down as fast as the butchers may have wanted him to, it is tough," said Couto. "It is tough to see."

Investigators believe the butcher may live near Kendall's horse country.

"It is someone that knows this area. It is someone that lives very close to this location," said Couto.

The finding left people living in the neighborhood in fear for their animals. Fernando Sanchez has four horses in his barn and he plans to spend more time here at night.

"Now, I am going to be coming around here more at night and checking everything," said Sanchez.

He's not the only person worried.

"It does worry me and I think that they have moved into areas like this where they feel that the cops won't be looking," said Barbara Ruiz Gonzalez, whose husband found the carcass.

Ruiz Gonzalez plans on taking action to protect her animals.

"More lighting, security cameras, anything I can do to keep my horses from being a victim of such a cruel act," said Ruiz Gonzalez.

"If I had my horses here, I would be concerned," said Couto.