This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

On Christmas Eve, a lost horse who had escaped her pasture was cruelly and inexplicably killed by a law enforcement officer in Mississippi, leaving her new family heartbroken — especially their 10-year-old daughter who had long hoped for a horse of her own to love. Now, we're calling for an investigation and change in how these situations are handled.

The horse, Goldie, had somehow escaped from her new pasture, and wandered less than 2 miles from her home near I-22.

The Itawamba County Sheriff's Department received four calls regarding the situation, and a deputy was dispatched to the scene. Before the deputy arrived, Austin Mann, who was traveling with his family, stopped to help. He had Goldie safely away from the highway, and he offered to help fashion a halter for her and keep her contained until she could be transported.

Unfortunately, the deputy turned down the offer for assistance, and told Mann the situation was under control and that he could leave.

Afterwards, Goldie was fatally, and inexcusably, shot in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun by the deputy. Gruesome photos of the scene made it clear she was shot at close range, and was likely not running and could have been contained.

The following morning, when Goldie's family discovered her missing, Kevin Pierce called the Sheriff's Department to report her absence, and was told, “It was taken care of.” The Pierce family, which has been trying to obtain a copy of the report of this incident, has since been given the runaround and left without answers.

Not only is this situation heartbreaking, it's inexcusable. In Defense of Animals, along with many equine rescues, humane societies and farmers, have partnered with various sheriff's departments in Mississippi to assist with cases like this involving large animals — yet none were contacted in this instance.

Making the situation even more tragic, Goldie had already survived one massacre in her life — she was one of two horses who survived an incident where nearly a dozen horses were shot after wandering from their pasture onto a neighboring property in 2017 after fencing was damaged.

This horrible situation simply cannot be swept under the rug!

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.