Washington law enforcement authorities are hoping the public can help determine how a Thurston County horse’s tongue was severed.

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Carrie Nastansky said the office responded to a call from a horse owner reporting that a mare was found in her pasture with a severed tongue on June 19.

The horse was unable to swallow or eat as a result of the injury and was later euthanized, she said.

Investigators located the horse’s tongue elsewhere in the pasture, but how the injury actually occurred remains uncertain