photo/Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
Hillside SPCA is offering a reward of $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for dumping two deceased, frozen horses along a rural road in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Both appear to be mares.
On the evening of January 2nd, 2018, two deceased horses covered by a beige tarp were found on Girard Manor Road near Ringtown, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. The horses had been dumped between the hours of 6 PM January 1st and 11 AM January 2nd according to the East Union Township Police.
The chestnut brown colored mare with a white blaze on her forehead was only a baby. The second horse was a whitish blonde color in nature and was visibly bony in spite of her thick winter coat, according to Janine Choplick, Humane Officer Investigator.
The police are handling the investigation. Hillside SPCA has been fielding calls as well. The police do have some leads.
Why these horses were dumped on this bucolic, snowy road isn’t presently known. What is known is the horses were extremely malnourished and emaciated. There were no bullet wounds or trauma to the bodies that can be seen.
2 malnourished deceased horses found along rural road, Schuylkill County, PA
photo credit/Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
I drove to Girard Manor (as explained in the video) on one of the coldest, blustery days this winter season. This isolated, winding road was covered in snow and not well traveled making it an ideal place for someone to “get rid of” something they don’t want. As I approached the snow-covered tarp on the slippery road, I saw the yellow tape roping off the area. It came as a shock to see how small their remains were. It was aprofoundly heartbreaking scene. I can’t imagine who could be so cold and thoughtless to dispose of 2 beautiful creatures in this manner.
Due to the size of the horses, it seems plausible the horses could’ve been placed in the back of a pick up bed using the tarp to pull them off the truck. A dump truck may also have been used to dispose of the horses.
The Schuylkill County Animal Response Team (CART) provided the transporting of the horses to the Department of Agriculture lab in Harrisburg for necropsies on Tuesday, January 9th. The results may be completed by the end of this week.
The East Union Township Police Department is asking the public to call them if they have any information about what occurred to these horses at 570-384-5829. You can also contact Hillside SPCA at 570-622-7769.
The $1,000 reward being offered by Hillside is for information leading to an arrest or arrests of those responsible for the deaths of the horses.
photo/Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein
The snow blanketed road where the remains of the horses lay is an area that sees little traffic. While I was there, the only vehicle that drove by was a mail truck. My heart broke thinking how the horses were disposed of like trash. The horses did not deserve this. If the person(s) who did this didn’t have the money to feed them, you don’t allow them to starve and freeze to death. You ask for help. Euthanizing a horse can be expensive. Again, you don’t dump their bodies like this. Ask for help!
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Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer and is an unabashed animal advocate. Her love for animals and quest for the hard truth is what drives her passion for all things animals. She hosts the show, ” A Close-Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” She adores her once-abused tripawd, Brody. If you’d like Tina to talk to your group or have a story, please email her at tevangelistaepp@yahoo.com. Like https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues and check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com for all the tv shows, articles, and podcasts you may have missed!
Seeing their faces makes me hate the people more. Only depraved sub humans can dump an animal on the side of a road. The tears r flowing. ?
I think many people can relate to your feelings.
Thank you.
They were starved to death.
That’s definitely part of the reason why they died.
Thanks.
Starved frozen dumped forgotten. Some people NEVER SHOULD be Allowed to have any animals. For life!!!!!
This is outrageous! People are demented and nuts. Those horses suffered. I hope they find who did this. I love horses and this makes me cry. I think its someone local because of the location. Tears for these girls. :'(
I so understand your anger. I have faith they will find those responsible for their deaths.
Thank you for sharing.