February 15, 2008

HARTSVILLE, SC – A horse breeder made a terrible discovery at her Hartsville, South Carolina ranch on Sunday morning. Sharon Montgomery found two of her horses lying dead in her pond.

“All I could do was cry,” said Montgomery, who was devastated.

In the week before the apparent attack, Montgomery reports her home was invaded twice by an unknown man.

Now police are investigating to see if the incidents are connected. But Montgomery, who says her horses seemed healthy, believes that they were murdered.

“One horse might die unexpectedly,” Montgomery said. “Horses can founder. Horses can have a heart attack. But two don’t founder. Two don’t go in a pond … not on the same night.”

The night her home was broken into, Montgomery warded off the intruder.

“I scared him away with my gun,” Montgomery said.

But three nights later, she saw the invader again, this time outside her barn.

Following police advice, Montgomery is keeping a sidearm nearby.

“Police told me to carry a gun for now,” Montgomery said. “Should this young man decide to come back, I’m ready for him.”

In hopes of finding answers, she has posted a sign in front of her home offering a reward for information on the investigation.

While Montgomery is reaching into her own pockets to dig up clues, her purse has a limit. She can only afford a necropsy for just one of the two horses.

In the meantime, Montgomery is coping with the loss of her beloved horses.

“They were born here, they’re gonna be buried here,” Montgomery said.

If you’d like to help, call the Hartsville Police Department at 843-383-3011.

Tell us what you think under this story. Post your favorite pet videos at the zootooTV tab. E-mail us your story ideas at news@zootoo.com or call us at 877-777-4204.