Police search for suspects in horse slaughtering

HIALEAH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A cattle owner made a disturbing discovery on his property. Two of his animals were slaughtered.

The meat is gone, only the hoofs remain. "It's not pleasant," said Robert Capote, "Let's put it that way."

Capote runs a cattle ranch in rural Northwest Miami-Dade. Wednesday morning, he found two of his cattle slaughtered.

Reporter: "Who do you think did this?"

Capote: "I have no idea."

To try and get some answers, Capote called in investigator Richard Couto with the Animal Recovery Mission. "These animals were obviously butchered alive," said Couto. "You can see the stab marks throughout the carcass and the coat of the animal."

Each one of the slaughtered cattle carried about 500 pounds of meat. Couto said he knows exactly why someone would come here in the middle of the night and butcher two of these animals. "We're talking about a lot of pounds of meat here," said Couto. "And I'm sure it wasn't for one family. I'm sure this meat, as horse meat in South Florida, has gone onto the black market."

But the question remains, who committed the crime? Even Couto can't figure it out. "It's impossible really," said Couto. "Unless, fingerprints or that sort of thing were left on the scene which we don't see."

The two animals that were killed were inside a pen. An investigator believes they were picked or targeted because they were penned in and were essentially easy targets.

If you have any information on this slaughter, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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