13 Wild Horses Shot Dead in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Reward Offered
Necropsies confirmed 13 horses were shot dead on the Black Mesa Ranger District near Heber-Overgaard; a $5,000 reward is offered for tips leading to an arrest.
Thirteen horses have been found shot to death on the Black Mesa Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest south of Heber-Overgaard, with the Navajo County Sheriff's Office and forest officials now investigating two incidents they believe are related.
The killings unfolded in two separate discoveries. Nine horses were found dead first, with multiple reports placing the initial discovery in January or February. Four additional horses were then found dead in the same area, also with bullet wounds, prompting forest officials to announce an expanded investigation. Necropsies confirmed gunshot wounds as the cause of death in all 13 animals, and the carcasses were buried following the examinations.
Forest Service officials have described the two incidents as related and are urging anyone with information to call the Navajo County Sheriff's Office tip line at 928-524-9908. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been named.
Betty Nixon, a local advocate for the Heber Wild Horses, called the killings "heinous, cowardly crimes." Nixon acknowledged that the horses draw mixed reactions from the community: some residents view them as a nuisance, and some hunters contend the animals chase off wildlife. Forest officials have characterized the herd as an integral part of the Apache-Sitgreaves that draws visitors from across Arizona and the country.
The horses' legal status complicates the picture. Because the animals are considered feral, descending from domesticated stock rather than roaming as unclaimed wild horses under a federally designated area, they do not qualify for protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, which covers unclaimed horses and burros on public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Investigators have not publicly identified which specific statutes may apply to the shootings.
The investigation remains active with no timeline given for resolution.
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