21 horses and 1 dog found dead on abandoned property in North Carolina

It’s being considered a horrific case of animal cruelty after 21 horses and a dog were found dead on an abandoned lot Friday in North Carolina.

According to ABC 13, Gwen Roberts, the woman who runs Horses for Hope, got a call from a neighbor regarding the dead animals. That neighbor also called animal control, Roberts said.

After getting the word, Roberts and the neighbor walked through the woods to an abandoned property where they found the dead horses in various states of decomposition.

“When I walked back there and went around the corner, it was just horrifying … they were all dead,” Roberts told ABC 13. “It was just bad. It was really bad. They didn’t have to die. All they had to do is ask for help. It’s really sad.”

Roberts also observed that there were several empty water jugs left across the entire property.

When the Wake County Sheriff’s Office finally got on scene, there was said to be only one dog left alive. That dog was reported to have been in bad shape and still inside the same cage as the dead dog.

Authorities said animal control officers were working late into the night removing the dead animals and the case is now being investigated as one under animal cruelty.