A 15-year-old Florida mare belonging to a cancer-stricken owner was discovered dead, apparently butchered for meat.

Richard Couto, president and head investigator for the Animal Rescue Mission said that on May 31 the mare’s remains were discovered in a wooded area near Northwest 138^th St. in Hialeah Gardens, Fla. The horse whose owner suffers from terminal cancer was found 200 yards from its stable, Couto said. The animal had been tied to a tree, stabbed and dismembered by an experienced butcher for its meat, he said.

"Whoever did this was either a professional butcher or someone who had butchered hundreds of horses," Couto said. "They knew what they were doing."

The incident is under investigation, Couto said