THURSDAY: VIGIL FOR MASSACRED HORSES

Perpetrators Must be Brought to Justice

CONTACT: Doll Stanley, doll@idausa.org, (662) 809-4483

IMAGES: http://bit.ly/HoustonHorseGunner

HOUSTON, Miss. (October 19, 2017) – In Defense of Animals, the international organization that runs the Justice for Animals Campaign in Mississippi is organizing a vigil to be held October 19, 2017, to the keep the spotlight on the unsolved massacre of a herd of horses and donkeys held a month following the date of the atrocity.

What: Candlelight Vigil

Time: 6 - 8 p.m.

When: Thursday, October 19, 201

Where: Chickasaw County Courthouse

Address: 1 Pinson Square Road, Houston, Mississippi

Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/1122071021260629

On September 19, 2017, Dalton Christian and his family of the unincorporated community of Van Vleet, Mississippi, discovered that their ten horses and two donkeys had wandered onto a neighboring property and had been mowed down in a hail of bullets attributed to assault weapons. Of the herd, seven horses and two donkeys died and two horses were wounded. The crime was shocking to the most seasoned of reporters, law enforcement, and animal cruelty investigators.

To date, a reward of $10,000 has mounted for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the fiends who committed this heinous crime.

“Tips have been given to law enforcement and it’s believed to be just a matter of time until the tips lead to the arrest and conviction of the sociopaths who caused such atrocious suffering for this herd of equine and the family who so loved them,” said In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign Director Doll Stanley.

“There’s a time to call for tougher laws and then there’s a time to cry out for justice under existing laws,” added Stanley. This crime is a felony under Mississippi criminal code § 97-41-15 for maliciously injuring livestock.

The vigil will be held at the Chickasaw County Courthouse in Houston, Mississippi, in support of the local law enforcement investigation into this stunning crime. There will be a display of photos in memorial of the slain equines.

Anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the slayers should contact Chickasaw County Sheriff James D. (Jim) Meyers at (662) 456-2339.

In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign is working tirelessly to advance the cause for justice and show state legislators that the people of Mississippi are united against senseless and horrific animal abuse. Campaign members are aligning with Mississippi judges, prosecuting attorneys, law enforcement officials, legislators, animal advocates, and concerned citizens to pass meaningful regional ordinances that will protect animals when state statutes fail. In Defense of Animals has served in Mississippi for 24 years, aiding victims and law enforcement with hundreds of cruelty reports.

For more information, please visit www.idausa.org

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In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign is actively working with officials in communities, building a groundswell of support for establishing and amending city and county ordinances as part of its campaign to show state lawmakers that Mississippians will not tolerate animal cruelty.

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization located in San Rafael, Calif. dedicated to protecting animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats through education, outreach, and our hands-on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi.