North Carolina

Cruelty investigated after more than 20 horses found dead in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. — Local North Carolina authorities are investigating animal cruelty after more than 20 horses were found dead.

Multiple news outlets report that Wake County Sheriff's Office and animal control workers were at a home south of Raleigh late Friday to remove the dead animals, which also included a dog.

Wake County sheriff's spokesman Eric Curry said he expected necropsies would be performed on several horses Saturday to determine why they died.

Gwen Roberts runs a therapeutic horse riding center near where the dead animals were discovered. She says a neighbor had become concerned about the animals. Roberts says she and the neighbor later found the dead horses in small pens on the abandoned property.

Curry said there was a "person of interest" that deputies looked to locate to obtain more information.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: