WARRENSBURG, MO – Authorities in Johnson County, Missouri, are investigating after a woman on an outing with her children says she found a horrific scene of horse abuse and neglect at a farm near Warrensburg.
Shirley Dempsey says that she was taking pictures of the countryside with her children when she came upon the farm, where she says she found at least a dozen neglected horses and other animals.
“One of the dogs, I kept tripping over him because he wanted me to play with him,” said Dempsey. “He had a bone. He wanted me to throw it and it was a horse’s hoof that he was chewing that still had bone connected to it.”
Dempsey says that many of the horses were losing their hair due to some type of fungus, and she says she could see bones protruding through their skin.
“The mama horses are just as big as the baby horses and they’re still nursing them,” said Dempsey. “There is no food for the animals or water for them to to drink.”
The case is now being investigated by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department as well as the Humane Society of Missouri. At present, investigators say that the circumstances are not severe enough to warrant the seizure of the animals.
The Johnson County Sheriff says that he will file a report and send it through to the county prosecutor for review.
Dempsey says that this is not the first time that the owner of the farm had been accused of animal abuse, but she says that fate may have been looking out for the animals this time.
“I think they’re lucky I found them, because at minimum the sheriff is aware and so is the public,” said Dempsey.