Someone’s killing horses in Southeast Florida.

Since January, 19 horses have been reported butchered and these are conservatives estimates because butcherings often go unreported by people who do not want to get involved with law enforcement, officials say.

"In the majority of these cases, the carcasses exhibited signs of being slaughtered and dismembered, and the meat removed from the bodies," said Scott Andress, a member of the multiagency team investigating the deaths. "At this point in the investigation, we're attempting to confirm the existence of a black market demand."

Law enforcement authorities say it may be premature to focus solely on a killing-horses-for-meat theory, but ASPCA investigator, Richard Couto, believes that is exactly what is happening, and he insists it’s been going on for years. The ASPCA workers even quotes prices -- a pound of horse meat might sell for anywhere from $7 to $20.

The interest in the meat stems from cultural demand. The Miami area is made up of many nationalities and in some of these places, horse meat is legal to buy and eat. People may be also interested in horse meat because of a belief that it will cure medical ailments such as AIDS or ease the side effects of chemotherapy.

In some instances, the only evidence of a crime is a bare carcass left at the scene.

Want to help animals?

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