Slaughtered horse remains found in wooded area in northwest Miami-Dade

ARM investigators believe horses may have been killed for religious sacrifice

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Animal Recovery Mission investigators are trying to determine whether the remains of slaughtered horses found in a wooded area in northwest Miami-Dade County were killed as part of a religious sacrifice.

Local 10 News reporter Layron Livingston said horse parts and bones with flesh still attached were found near Northwest 129th Avenue.

"These are two separate slaughters," ARM investigator Rachel Taylor told reporters while holding the skinned legs of a horse in each hand.

Taylor said some of the remains had numbers written on them -- an indicator that they may have been killed as part of a religious sacrifice.

She said the remains were in different stages of decay.

"Anything from two days, to a month, to a year, to two years," Taylor said. 

Investigators said this was ground zero for the black market in horse meat.

"These have been stripped of every bit of meat," likely for consumption, Taylor said.

Investigators are trying to determine if the animals were killed there or dumped in the area.


About the Authors:

Layron Livingston made the move from Ohio's Miami Valley to Miami, Florida, to join the Local 10 News team.