COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A Collier County family is left heartbroken after finding one of their beloved horse butchered to death.
It happened early Friday morning in the Golden Gate Estates area.
The family is now asking the community to help them find whoever is responsible for this horrible crime.
“He was just really fun, always entertaining, always into something, he was kind of a silly horse,” said Jamie Doria, one of the owners of the horse.
To the Doria family, their 12-year-old horse named Whip was family.
Whip had been with the family since he was 4-years-old, and was the family's show horse.
“I feel like that’s one of my children, so if you can think about someone doing that to your family member, that’s just sickening,” said Doria.
Whip was found early Friday morning butchered in a neighboring lot to Doria's home, just off of Rock and Immokalee Road.
“My husband came out this morning and realized he was missing. He started looking for him and realized the fence had been cut in the back pasture,” said Doria.
Deputies say someone entered into the pasture overnight and led the horse out to the empty lot.
Doria says the suspect or suspects where able to get in through a hole in the fence that surrounds the empty lot.
"It was very premeditated, I just don’t understand,” said Doria.
Doria’s 12-year old son and husband were the first to find Whip skinned and tied to a tree.
Deputies say it appears the suspect or suspects were after the horse’s meat based on the remains left at the scene.
“I was like this must be a dream or something like that because I didn’t think it was real,” said Tilton, Doria's son.
The family is now offering a $10,000 reward for information that will help bring Whip's killer to face justice.
“He was part of the family,” said Tilton.
Anyone with information can call the Collier County Sheriff's Office at 239.252.9300 (non-emergency), or 239-775-8477 (TIPS), or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward call Crime Stoppers at 1.800.780.TIPS (8477).
